Chelsea have denied that the club have held talks with Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim, amid pressure on Mauricio Pochettino’s position at the club.
Pochettino has endured a tough debut campaign in charge of Chelsea with the Blues ninth in the Premier League table and facing the prospect of no European football for the second successive season.
The west Londoners were thrashed 5-0 at Arsenal last week, a result that has increased the pressure on Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.
Reports this week have linked Chelsea to Amorim, who has attracted admirers across Europe for his work at Sporting Lisbon.
The 39-year-old led Sporting to a first Primeira Liga title in 19 years in 2020/21 and the club are closing in on another title this season, with a five-point gap to second-placed Benfica with three games to ago.
Amorim was considered a frontrunner for the Liverpool role before the decision to target Arne Slot, while the Portuguese coach flew to London to hold talks with West Ham last month. He has since apologised for the talks.
“What is important to say is that it was obviously a mistake,” Amorim told the Portuguese media in a press conference.
“The trip was a mistake, the timing was completely misjudged, which I did not see at the time. It was misjudged.
“I gave the players an explanation. I also gave an explanation to the staff as I should have.
“But now it is about continuing forward, clearly aside from all that, publicly I ask for forgiveness from the Sportinguistas [Sporting fans]. I apologise to the staff, and also I apologise first and foremost publicly to my players for the mistake.”
Rumours have since surfaced that it was in fact Chelsea who paid for Amorim’s flight to England and that the Blues held talks with the Sporting boss as a potential contingency option should Pochetttino be sacked.
The Telegraph are reporting that Chelsea have denied all claims of involvement in Amorim’s trip to London and that the Blues have not held any talks with the coach or his representatives.
