Chelsea Football Club has categorically denied allegations made by Portuguese sources that Ruben Amorim, the manager of Sporting, visited London last week to discuss a potential move to Chelsea, rather than West Ham, as initially believed. Amorim was spotted in London just days before his team’s league match against Porto, fueling speculation about his intentions. Although he had previously been linked with West Ham, it was thought that he had met with the club’s management to discuss replacing David Moyes.
However, Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda made a surprising claim on Tuesday, stating that Chelsea had arranged Amorim’s trip and met with him to discuss replacing Mauricio Pochettino, who is under pressure. Chelsea has swiftly refuted this rumor, with The Telegraph’s Matt Law reporting that the club is “absolutely convinced” that they did not cover the cost of Amorim’s trip or meet with him while he was in London.
Instead, Chelsea plans to wait until the end of the season to make a decision about Pochettino’s future and any potential managerial search. With the Blues currently struggling in ninth place in the Premier League, they face a tough battle to secure a European spot next season, which could have implications for Pochettino’s future.
Amorim, meanwhile, has apologized for his actions, admitting that it was a “mistake” to conduct negotiations with another team while Sporting was still in the running for the championship. He expressed regret for traveling to London at a sensitive time and acknowledged that the timing was “entirely off.” Amorim also clarified that he had informed the club, staff, and players about his trip, contrary to reports that he had kept it secret.
In a statement, Amorim said, “Let’s remove the big issue from the discussion. I will discuss this once. The club knew about my trip, to start with. It alters the context and is significant… I made a mistake when I traveled. At the moment, it didn’t feel appropriate, and the timing was entirely off. It was improper, made even more so by the fact that I am so hard on my players and am usually the first to admit that the team cannot solve each player’s personal issues, thus it was my responsibility.”
