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According to reports, Chelsea – not West Ham United – “paid” for Ruben Amorim’s “flight” to London earlier this month as he had a “meeting” with the Blues.
The 39-year-old has done a brilliant job with Sporting Lisbon, who are on course to win the Primeira Liga title this season.
Amorim’s attack-minded philosophy has caught the eye as he is currently being linked with several elite European clubs.
He emerged as the favourite to replace Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool after they missed out on Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso but they have opted to appoint Arne Slot.
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Before it emerged that Liverpool had selected Slot as their preferred candidate, Amorim caused a stir by flying to London as he reportedly had a meeting with Premier League rivals West Ham, who are expected to replace David Moyes in the summer.
Over the weekend, Amorim admitted it was a “mistake” to fly to London for a meeting.
“I’m truly sorry. I apologise to the club, players & fans. It was a mistake. The timing was absolutely wrong,” Amorim told reporters.
“I always ask my players to be respectful & I wasn’t, even though I informed Sporting beforehand.”
But now, Portuguese journalist Pedro Sepulveda has claimed Chelsea “paid” for Amorim’s flight as he had a “meeting” with “members of the board”.
Sepulveda tweeted: “The airplane that Rúben Amorim took on 22nd of April was paid by @ChelseaFC. Meeting with members of the board.
“Pochettino will probably leave Chelsea in the end of the season. Deal with @LFC collapsed. The news about @WestHam paying for the flight are FAKE.”
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