Tottenham Hotspur reportedly view Sporting CP tactician Ruben Amorim as a possible candidate to replace Antonio Conte, who is flirting with the Juventus job next season.
Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim has emerged as one of the top candidates to replace Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.
That’s according to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, which claims the Italian boss is reluctant to put pen to paper to extend his stay in North London and has set his sights on the Juventus position at the end of the season, forcing the Lilywhites to search for potential managerial contenders beforehand as they look to plan for the future.
Conte has a contract with Tottenham until June 2023, and the two parties have not been able to agree on new terms yet. The Italian has a history of switching teams time and again, which has fueled talk that the 53-year-old is seeking a new challenge at the conclusion of the season, with Juventus looking to bring him back to the club after enduring a disastrous start to the 2022-23 season under Massimiliano Allegri.
So, there’s a good possibility that the four-time Scudetto winner could leave N17 at the end of his term. To that end, Spurs have already started planning for any contingencies and have identified three candidates. Former boss Mauricio Pochettino and Brentford’s Thomas Frank are mentioned in the piece. However, Ruben Amorim’s name stands out as the most exciting option.
The 37-year-old started his managerial career in 2018 with Casa Pia in the Portuguese lower division before taking over the B team of Braga in the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese top-flight. He was in charge of Braga B for just over three months before being moved to the first-team position.
His tenure at the Estádio Municipal was brief, but he left with a stellar record, winning ten of his 13 league matches without losing a single one. During that period, he also won the Taça da Liga or Portuguese League Cup.
That prompted Sporting CP to pay the €10 million buy-out clause in his Braga contract to bring him to Lisbon in March 2020. His first few months in command saw him stabilise things in transition with a fourth-place finish, but in his first full season at the helm, he led the club to their first Primeira Liga title in 19 years, bucking the domination set by Porto and Benfica in Portuguese football.
He also guided them to another Taca da Liga in what turned out to be a double-winning campaign. Amorim’s cumulative win percentage across all clubs is an astonishing 70%, while the Lions made it to the Champions League last 16 last season, and could well repeat the feat this season with a positive result on the final matchday. They have taken four points from the two games against Spurs.
Recently linked with Aston Villa and Wolves jobs, Amorim has the pedigree and tools to be an excellent project manager for Spurs. However, the former Portugal international is understood to have a £26.3 million release clause in his contract at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, making him a very expensive option for Spurs.
