According to The Telegraph, Aston Villa are keen on Sporting manager Ruben Amorim.
In fact, The Athletic report that talks are underway between Amorim and Villa about the Portuguese gaffer replacing Steven Gerrard, so it truly sounds as though there are some legs to this story.
Amorim is largely regarded as one of the hottest managerial properties in Europe. He helped Sporting win their first title in almost two decades a couple of seasons ago, and he’s even been courted by Chelsea in the past, holding talks with the Blues prior to Graham Potter’s appointment.
This would certainly be an ambitious appointment from Villa, and while many supporters may not know too much about Amorim, his brand of football should get the Holte End off their seats.
Indeed, described as a ‘fantastic’ manager in the past, Amorim plays entertaining, slick football and he was even considered as a replacement for Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds United – which, while it doesn’t sound too exciting, goes to show the type of manager he is.
He’s a gaffer who likes his team to dominate the ball, while he adores a system that utilises wing-backs – which could be lethal at Villa with Lucas Digne and Matty Cash.
He’s also a manager who can improve players to no end. Pedro Goncalves was a Wolves reject when Amorim got his hands on him, but he transformed him into one of the most exciting attacking players in Europe, while Joao Palhinha went from being loaned out to being one of the Premier League’s best midfielders since working with Amorim.
This is an appointment that would be very exciting and would show a lot of ambition from the Villans.
Of course, whether or not Villa can coerce Amorim out of Lisbon remains to be seen, but if this is the type of pond the club are fishing in, Gerrard’s replacement could completely change Villa’s fortunes in the coming months.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
