Why Didn’t Liverpool go for Rúben Amorim? | OneFootball

At the end of January 2024, the news broke that most Liverpool supporters had been dreading: Jürgen Klopp was to step down as manager at the end of the 2023-2024 campaign. Once the shock had worn off, thoughts turned to the obviously question about who would possibly be able to take over the reigns from the inspirational German.

Many wondered whether it might be Xabi Alonso, who had done so well at Bayer Leverkusen, but the Spaniard quickly ruled himself out of the running. Another name that came up was Portugal’s Rúben Amorim, but in the end Liverpool decided to go for Arne Slot. Why him and not Amorim?

He Was on the Shortlist

Perhaps the most important point to realise about Liverpool and the way that they do things nowadays is that it isn’t just a matter of someone saying, “Let’s go and get that guy”. Instead, the club is significantly more data driven, thanks to the manner in which the likes of Michael Edwards has completely revolutionised life at Anfield.

Even when Jürgen Klopp was appointed, for example, he made a shortlist that also featured Carlo Ancelotti and, randomly, Eddie Howe. In the wake of Klopp’s announcement about his departure, those at the top of Fenway Sports Group got their ducks in a row to make sure they got the decision about his replacement right.

Edwards was persuaded to return to the fold as FSG’s Director of Football Operations, with his first major decision being to appoint Richard Hughes as the club’s new Sporting Director. The data nerds looked at numerous different factors with each of the managers that they considered, with Ancelotti ruled out as Rodgers’ replacement, for example, because too much emphasis was placed on making new signings early on in his managerial tenure wherever he was appointed.

Between them they put together a shortlist that had numerous names on it, of which Rúben Amorim was was definitely one, but he didn’t make it in the end.

A Different Playing Philosophy

For all that Rúben Amorim ticked a number of the boxes that FSG had put in place for their next manager, there were two major sticking points that meant that he was ultimately overlooked. The first was that his playing style didn’t work particularly well with the players that Liverpool had at their disposal.

More often than not, Amorim tends to go for three at the back when he’s picking his defensive formation and few of the defenders at Anfield had a huge amount of experience on that front. Obviously the likes of Virgil van Dijk aren’t exactly going to struggle and he’d played that way with Holland, but others haven’t done.

It would have meant bringing in some new players, which the Reds were unwilling to do so early on in a new manager’s tenure. The new boss was going to be called a ‘Head Coach’ rather than manager, with the responsibility for the likes of signing new players taken on by Richard Hughes and his team.

For a new manager to come in and demands three or four new signings wouldn’t have been what FSG and the higher-ups at Anfield were looking for from their new boss, instead preferring someone who liked the look of the squad as it was and felt as though they could get a tune out of it well enough.

Someone Else Was a Better Fit

Carlo Bruil Fotografie, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The more that Liverpool looked into Rúben Amorim, the clearer it became that his long-term vision didn’t align with the one that the Reds were working towards. With the entire club, from the youngest age group on through, working in the same way, changing that drastically wasn’t what anyone wanted. It might well have been something that could’ve been mitigated for if Edwards, Hughes and co had decided that they loved everything about Amorim, but that wasn’t to be the case.

Instead, there was someone else that came out on top in almost every metric, which was a surprise given the fact that the system was weighted against the Eredivisie.

Fighting against that weighted system was Arne Slot, who impressed on almost every front. His playing style was considered to be much better suited to the players that Liverpool already had at their disposal, to say nothing of the fact that his long-term vision also suited.

Whilst Amorim was busy setting up meetings with West Ham United to try to force Liverpool’s hand, proving exactly why the club ultimately steered away from him, Slot was making it clear that he was keen for the position and happy to work in the Sporting Director structure that the club was putting in place. It was the end of the road for Amorim, but things have worked out ok so far….