How the data shows Amorim has just one true rival for Liverpool job as Sporting boss ‘verbally agrees to replace Klopp’

IF Ruben Amorim joins Liverpool, it will be pretty much the first time in his coaching career that he has done what is expected of him.

The Reds have denied reports that they have a verbal agreement with the Sporting Lisbon boss for him to replace Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is a top candidate to take over at Liverpool

Amorim has reportedly reached a verbal agreement to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool

Liverpool only have two realistic options, one is Amorim and the other is Brighton boss Roberto De ZerbiReuters

Nonetheless, Amorim is now the clear favourite.

Amorim ticks a lot of boxes for Liverpool – and indeed for other big clubs, like Barcelona and Bayern Munich, who are looking for a new boss.

Analysts at sports data firm 21st Group have fed some key criteria into their coach database to assess potential candidates to replace Klopp at Anfield.

The search narrows first of all to 63 men whose last or current job was at mid-Premier League level or better.

44 of them have Champions League experience. Out of those, 30 have a record of improving underlying performance metrics.

Of those 30, 18 have consistently achieved better results than you would expect from their budget.

From those 18, 10 have consistently played attacking, high-press football.

And of that top 10, four are aged 50 or under.

They are: Xabi Alonso, who has committed to staying at Bayer Leverkusen; Mikel Arteta, a former Everton player who is presumably pretty happy at Arsenal right now; Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi, who has been on Liverpool’s radar; and Amorim.

Which realistically makes it a choice between Amorim and De Zerbi.

But Amorim is the favourite, and it could be a match made in heaven.

Amorim is renowned as an excellent coach, with the emotional intelligence to understand and motivate players.

He is charismatic and presents himself well in front of the media.

But if Liverpool have done their due diligence they will know that the 39-year-old is perfectly capable of turning down what looks like a plum job.

Amorim did just that after a knee injury brought his playing career to a premature halt at the age of 32.

As a midfielder good enough to win 14 international caps, he lifted three Portuguese titles and a number of domestic cups with Benfica.

Yet when the Lisbon giants offered him the chance to manage their B team in 2019, he at first accepted but then turned it down after a meeting at the club. Instead he moved to a similar role at less fashionable Braga.

It was not long before Amorim took charge of Braga’s first team. Less than three months later, after he had led the club to the Portuguese League Cup, Sporting came calling in March 2020.

Most expected the former Benfica man to turn down their Lisbon rivals, who were in the doldrums and had not won the title for nearly two decades.

But Amorim said yes, and ended the 19-year drought in his first season in charge, throwing in another League Cup for good measure.

After breaking the Porto-Benfica domination, there did not seem to be any worlds left to conquer for Amorim in Portugal.

His achievements had not gone unnoticed and Manchester United were among his admirers.

Yet he stayed with Sporting. The club has sold some of its best players over the last few years – Joao Palhinha, Matheus Nunes, Nuno Mendes, Pedro Porro and Manuel Ugarte.

Despite that, Amorim has led them to the brink of another championship, with another exciting team spearheaded by a striker signed from Coventry, Viktor Gyokeres.

But his stubbornness can be a blessing and a curse. It’s his way or no way.

And as Benfica could tell Liverpool, if Amorim doesn’t get the right vibes, he is perfectly prepared to say no.