West Ham may live to regret not appointing Ruben Amorim, but he may not have actually been as close to joining as some believe.
Following the departure of David Moyes, West Ham took some time in making sure they found who they believed to be the right man for the job. Ultimately, they landed on Julen Lopetegui; a controversial decision.
However, there were some names thrown about that got fans particularly excited, namely Ruben Amorim. The then Sporting Lisbon manager flew out to London to speak with David Sullivan.
Some reports have claimed that the club agreed personal terms with him, but Claret and Hugh have categorically denied this.
The article starts by explaining that Lopetegui is only on £3.3 million per-year, while “Amorim reportedly wanted €10m per season (£8.3m) to manage in the Premier League which is want he has asked Manchester United – which re-enforces why it is laughable that personal terms were agreed by West Ham before the plug was pulled by a prominent shareholder.”
It continues on to explain that “Amorim was considered too much of a gamble” – a concerning statement. As a club you have to take risks to progress, there’s a reason that managers who once managed big teams do not manage them anymore. Not signing one of the world’s most exciting up and coming managers due to it being risky is a bold move, especially now that he’s joined Manchester United, let’s just hope appointing Lopetegui instead proves to be the correct decision.