Manchester City are seriously considering Ruben Amorim, the head coach of Sporting, as a potential successor to Pep Guardiola, should the latter depart at the end of his contract this season, according to the Guardian.
Guardiola recently stated that “anything can happen” regarding his future, underscoring the necessity for City to establish a succession plan.
The connection with Amorim, widely regarded as one of Europe’s top young managers, is logical.
The 39-year-old is a close ally of Hugo Viana, who is set to take over as Man City’s director of football next summer.
Viana, currently at Sporting since 2018, will work alongside Txiki Begiristain before the latter retires at the end of the season, aiming for a seamless transition.
There is an immediate recruitment challenge, as Guardiola has yet to decide whether to extend his contract.
Man City are eager to retain the world’s best manager and avoid a potential loss.
Ruben Amorim has emerged as a leading candidate should a vacancy arise at City.
He has attracted attention from top clubs for some time, having been in contention to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool last summer.
Ultimately, he lost out on that opportunity to Arne Slot but has also engaged in discussions with Chelsea in recent years.
Most recently, he was considered by West Ham when they contemplated replacing David Moyes.
Amorim even traveled to London for talks but returned to Portugal without reaching an agreement.
Following this, he publicly apologised for any perceived disrespect to his current employers.
At the time, there was skepticism about whether Amorim would seriously entertain a move to West Ham, who eventually appointed Julen Lopetegui.
The former Braga manager has chosen to remain at Sporting, biding his time for a top managerial role.
His capabilities have been on display in European competitions, notably when he led Sporting to victories over Tottenham in the Champions League in 2022 and Arsenal in the Europa League the following year.
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