Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim looks like a shoo-in to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, but a certain Spaniard did a few weeks ago and that did not work out in their favour.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Potential interest from Chelsea and Manchester United could complicate matters but certain outlets are assuming Amorim to Liverpool is already as good as a done deal with reports suggesting FSG could target one or two of the 39-year-old’s favourite players at Sporting in the summer.
Liverpool may be wise to learn from mistakes made by Ajax-obsessed Erik ten Hag, but they are not going to be alone in pursuing Sporting stars after they clinch the Primeira Liga title.
Assuming Amorim does head to Anfield, here are six players (all below fees are taken from transfermarkt, by the way) who could follow their head coach in moving to the Premier League before next season.
Ousmane Diomande to Manchester United (£34m)
This season has proved that Man Utd are still miles away from being in a position to challenge for the Premier League title so Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. have a huge job on their hands heading into the summer window.
One of Ratcliffe’s main missions will be to right previous wrongs in the transfer market and the addition of a young centre-back will be a priority.
With Raphael Varane clearly past his peak and Lisandro Martinez missing much of this season due to injury, Ratcliffe should use the bulk of his summer budget on a centre-back (plus a striker) and 20-year-old Diomande – who has also been linked with Chelsea – would fit their new model of recruiting up-and-coming talents.
Marcus Edwards to Tottenham Hotspur (£21m)
Another recent example of a young Englishman coming good in Europe, Edwards has made waves during his spell at Sporting after he was cut loose by Spurs in 2019 after failing to make a single senior appearance for the Premier League outfit.
After a couple of miserable seasons with Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte in the dugout, Ange Postecoglou has brought the good vibes back to Tottenham with his relentless attacking approach.
With the help of Fabio Paratici’s expertise, Spurs have recruited well in recent windows and even without Harry Kane, they already have several worthwhile options in attacking areas. But with a return to Europe (and potentially the Champions League) on the table, they could do worse than boosting their squad by sanctioning a reunion with Edwards.
Goncalo Inacio to Liverpool (£34m)
A transfer that initially looked on the cards last summer, Inacio to Liverpool has been heavily mooted over the past year with the Premier League giants requiring the addition of a young centre-back.
Virgil van Dijk has been back to his best this season and Jarell Quansah is certainly one for the future, but with Joel Matip heading for the exit door and Ibrahima Konate becoming increasingly injury-prone, another option at centre-back would come in handy for Klopp’s successor.
Like Diomande, Inacio is far from the final product but already has plenty of experience in senior football and would benefit from a couple of seasons of learning alongside Van Dijk.
READ MORE: Mailbox… What’s going on at Liverpool? Can you fire a manager who has already resigned?
Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal (£47m)
Being this great site’s resident Championship nerd, I have watched on with great pride as ex-Coventry City striker Gyokeres has been enjoying a remarkable debut season in Portugal under Amorim.
Gyokeres has a stunning tally of 36 goals and 16 assists this term and his firepower looks to be nudging Sporting towards a league and cup double.
The Sweden international has a £103m release clause in his contract so Sporting may be forced to bid a premature farewell in the summer as he has reportedly been picked as Arsenal’s ‘number one target’.
Their decision to sign Kai Havertz has panned out better than most expected but Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah are still struggling in front of goal so the Gunners would certainly benefit from the arrival of a proven goalscorer as they attempt to avoid bottling it again.
Sebastian Coates to Newcastle United (£3.4m)
This is a blast from the past!
Part of Liverpool’s squad during the not-so-glorious pre-Klopp era at Anfield, Coates later had a similarly underwhelming Premier League spell with Sunderland but he has rebuilt his career in the Primeira Liga with Sporting.
Having made 38 appearances this season, Coates is showing no sign of slowing down and we reckon he could stick it to Sunderland by signing for Newcastle, who have been f***ed over by injuries at centre-back.
As they continue to be impacted by FFP, they could even use some of the money earned through selling Bruno Guimaraes to Arsenal or Man City on Coates, which would be bound to go down a treat at St James’ Park.
Trincao to Liverpool (£12m)
While Liverpool arguably require a centre-back above everything else, Mohamed Salah’s highly touted move to the Saudi Pro League would force them into the market for a replacement.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo and Wolves’ Pedro Neto would be more expensive solutions to ease the blow of losing Salah, but former Wolves loanee Trincao could also be looked at if Liverpool fancy saving themselves some money, which is proven to be in FSG’s nature.
Formerly of Barcelona, the 24-year-old caught the eye during his previous spell in the Premier League and he has starred for Sporting this season.
The bulk of the left-footed winger’s appearances this term have come via the right flank and his 18 goal involvements stand him in good stead ahead of a potential Premier League return.
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