Paul Merson doesn’t think Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim will become Aston Villa’s next manager after the sacking of Steven Gerrard, as he told Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports (22/10/22 at 12:15 pm).
Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling shared how the highly-rated Amorim is the bookie’s favourite to takeover over the Villa Park hot seat.
But he added that the 37-year-old has a buy-out clause of ‘£26 million’ in his Sporting contract, to which former Villa star Merson responded ‘he ain’t going there’.
If the Midlands club are adamant in wanting to replace Gerrard with Amorim, then the owners will no doubt put the money on the table because they have expressed their ambition to take the club as high as possible.
Nonetheless, this is what Sky presenter Jeff Stelling had to say about those Amorim links, added with Merson’s brief response.
“They are also linked with, he is the bookmakers favourite, Ruben Amorim, who is the current Sporting Lisbon manager,” said Stelling. “But he has a buy-out clause of £26 million to bring him to the football club.”
“He ain’t going there, is he?!” Merson responded in the background.
BIG JOB AHEAD
Whoever takes the key to the Villa Park hot seat is in for a serious, serious challenge.
For decades managers have tried to revive the sleeping giant, yet when many have left, they have never been seen again or ended up lower down the footballing pyramid.
Post-Villa, out of all the managers, Steve Bruce has probably been the one to land a high-profile job and that was Newcastle United.
And even then, it was a job where fans didn’t want him there, an owner in Mikel Ashley who was clueless, and as soon as the new Saudi-led takeover happened, he was out of the door.
This is a tough gig at Villa, but it has been said many, many times before, if this club can be revived, then it has serious potential.
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