Pep Guardiola regards Liverpool’s £17 million contender to succeed Jurgen Klopp as highly qualified.

One of Liverpool’s choices for replacing Jurgen Klopp is a manager Pep Guardiola loves who has a £17 million release clause.

Manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, has an admiration for one of the possible successors for Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season at Liverpool. One of the most promising young coaches in Europe, Ruben Amorim of Sporting, will be among the choices available to the Reds as they search for Klopp’s replacement.

The titans of Merseyside are searching far and wide for a coach who can guarantee that they stay a big force in both the Premier League and the Champions League, where they will almost definitely make a return next season. Amorim is a successful young coach who employs a dynamic, attack-minded methodology. His Sporting team, led by former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates, leads Liga Portugal in goals scored as of right now.

Amorim, who briefly won the Taca da Liga (also known as the Portuguese League Cup) with Braga prior to joining Sporting, has performed admirably since his appointment in March 2020. In 2020–21, he led them to their first league title in 19 years. That same season, he also won the League Cup, which they kept the next year.

The player with a nearly 70% winning percentage, who led the Lions to just their second-ever Champions League last-16 appearance in 2021–2022, is aiming for another league and cup double this season with the Taca de Portugal. Amorim, who is still only 39, has created a great deal of buzz and anticipation while he has been in Lisbon.

Guardiola, the City mastermind, has even endorsed the coach, who happens to have an agent named Luis Diaz. In February of last year, the Catalan stated, “In my opinion, their coach is among the best right now.”

Amorim is so highly valued, however, that it would take £17 million to remove him from his 2026 Sporting deal. When Sporting stole him from Braga four years ago, it cost them £8 million. Additionally, club president Frederico Varandas called him “one of the best coaches in the world” when he decided to extend his contract in late 2022.

Liverpool is reportedly not concerned about Amorim’s release clause, according to Portuguese publication Correio da Manha. However, according to other reports from his native nation, the coach has no plans to talk about assuming a new position until the current one is over.

What it will entail is unknown as Liverpool looks to select a new manager in preparation for Klopp’s departure. Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso of Bayer Leverkusen is another formidable contender, while other well-liked candidates include Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi and current Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann.

However, Amorim has previously stated that he will leave Sporting if they don’t win the title this year, negating the need for the £17 million option. “I’m going to go on my own if we don’t win trophies. Sporting cannot go two years without winning,” he declared, despite the team’s protracted title drought prior to his hiring.

The decision-makers at Anfield will be drawn to that kind of mindset and his aggressive, dominating style of play. Even though he plays in a 3-4-3 system, the emphasis is on high pressing and asserting dominance over the opposition. An additional serious red flag against him is that he is also thought to be a great communicator.

Being a strong leader and having a commanding presence could help bridge the chasm left by Klopp’s exit. Two years ago, Paulo Meneses, the head of recruitment at Braga, told The Athletic of Amorim: “Ruben is going to play for one of the top teams in the ‘Big Five’ leagues.” It must be a project of great ambition.

“He is a really aspirational coach. Other than his desire to take home large trophies, he won’t have anything to be excited about. Owing to his leadership qualities and his work ethic, I am confident that he will become a household figure in European football in the near future.” Perhaps, just perhaps, he will establish himself as a household name with Liverpool.