Report: Balague on real reason West Ham’s Amorim talks turned sour. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague has revealed the real reason West Ham’s Ruben Amorim talks turned sour.
West Ham’s now infamous talks with Sporting boss Ruben Amorim have since become a stick with which both he and David Sullivan have been beaten. Indeed some believe the whole exercise was nothing more than a publicity stunt on both sides.
News emerged out of the blue that Amorim was flying for talks with West Ham majority owner Sullivan a few weeks ago.
It excited and united the Hammers fanbase in a way rarely seen.
This was the coveted, innovative young manager West Ham fans had craved to succeed David Moyes.
But like most of West Ham’s dreams – this one quickly faded and died too. Word upon Amorim’s return to Portugal after the very public talks was that the three-hour meeting with Sullivan did not go well.
Why West Ham’s Amorim talks turned sour
But it was still widely reported that Amorim remained West Ham’s first choice. The man second on Sullivan’s list – Julen Lopetegui – was much less appealing to supporters.
Hopes were raised Amorim might still become West Ham boss when claims emerged that directors Tim Steidten and Mark Noble were trying to persuade Sullivan to pay Sporting’s £12.8m release clause for the 39-year-old boss.
That came after Amorim spoke out to apologise for his West Ham talks. But, tantalisingly only for the timing of those talks not for having held them. In the end Amorim publicly committed to Sporting after they lifted their second title under him.
It was no surprise that word then quickly emerged that West Ham reached agreement with Lopetegui to take over.
Balague says Amorim angered Sullivan
West Ham were his second choice after Milan withdrew a contract offer six months in the making. And it seems the 57-year-old was very much West Ham’s second choice too. So what really went wrong with West Ham’s grand Amorim plan?
Well now we know it seems.
Guillem Balague has revealed the real reason West Ham’s Amorim talks turned sour. Speaking about how West Ham ended up going with Lopetegui, the Spanish journalist says Sullivan was angry with Amorim before he even arrived for talks.
The Hammers chief was not happy about the fact news and that picture of him flying to meet Sullivan had been leaked.
It clearly led to a level of suspicion from Sullivan.
And Balague said it resulted in a ‘lack of synergy’ between Sullivan and Amorim when they did meet.
“Lopetegui told Milan if you don’t want me fine, I’m going,” Balague told the West Ham Network YouTube channel in an interview you can see at the bottom of this story.
“He thought ‘Ok what are the other options’ and West Ham came up. It wasn’t the only one, and it wasn’t the only one in England either.
“He heard from Sullivan, conversations went on very well, unlike for instance Ruben Amorim where there wasn’t really synergy.
“That photograph of him coming to London was not liked by Sullivan.
“But in any case the place where West Ham wants to go is where Lopetegui can take them. It’s as simple as that.”
