What Liverpool privately 'thought' about Ruben Amorim after Richard Hughes 'meeting in Lisbon'

It was a decision that was as important as Liverpool would ever have to make.

Outsiders hoped it would prove the Reds’ downfall. Jurgen Klopp had re-established Liverpool at the pinnacle of European football - achieving what he promised after his appointment as Anfield manager in October 2015. In his nine-year tenure, the Reds won seven major trophies including the Champions League and Premier League - as well as finishing runners-up in each competition on two occasions respectively.

Klopp was largely credited with Liverpool’s success. He helped assemble a team that created bona fide world-class players such as Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah and Alisson Becker and could match any team on the continent. So when it emerged he would be leaving L4 midway through January 2024, opposition supporters were desperate for Liverpool’s position among the upper echelons to diminish.

Slot succeeds

Fenway Sports Group - and their incoming sporting director Richard Hughes - had to get the call on who succeeded Klopp spot-on. A misstep could see Liverpool jettison down the table. But the call to hire Arne Slot has proven emphatically correct.

In his first season, the Dutchman - a relatively unheralded figure - is on track to guide the Reds to their second title in 35 years. Liverpool are top of the table by 11 points and the silverware is theirs to lose. Slot has built on the foundations laid by Klopp and improvements have been made.

How different it could have been had Ruben Amorim been hired. The Portuguese was heavily linked while the search for a new head coach was ongoing. Amorim had guided Sporting CP to the Primeira Liga title in the 2023-24 season and he was regarded as one of Europe’s brightest head coaches.

According to The Telegraph, Hughes ‘went to Lisbon to meet Amorim’. However, it is suggested that Liverpool were concerned about Amorim’s ‘inflexibility’ in regards to his 3-4-3 formation, especially with the current squad. Slot was believed to be better suited - and the Reds have reaped the dividends. While Amorim was linked as one of the frontrunners to replace Klopp, it is reported that it ‘suited’ FSG before they officially appointed Slot.

Amorim pressure

Amorim now finds himself at Liverpool’s great rivals Manchester United - with the pressure already growing. Succeeding Erik ten Hag in November, United’s form has declined. They have lost 12 of their 25 games since Amorim’s arrival, with the Red Devils sitting 15th in the Premier League. In 15 top-flight games, United have won only four of them and were second-best as they gasped a 2-2 draw against Everton last weekend.

Speaking after a 1-0 loss at Tottenham earlier this month, Old Trafford legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said: “We just said about the distance between the two central midfield players. Look at where Casemiro is and where Bruno Fernandes is. That cannot be right. It breaks all rules in football. Look at them – absolute madness, that.

“They may score goals, but the structure of the team is awful. The gaps in that midfield, that’s a tactical thing – they’ve been told to do that. Bruno Fernandes is playing right wing. It’s embarrassing.”

How things could have been different had Amorim landed the Anfield role instead of Slot. Hughes has come in for criticism from sections of Liverpool fans since his arrival - largely as the contracts of Van Dijk, Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are still to be renewed. But one thing he cannot he berated for is his decision to appoint Slot.