Manchester United have agreed a deal with Sporting Lisbon for their manager Ruben Amorim after three days of negotiations, but the move isn’t official just yet.
Amorim is regarded as one of the best young managers in the world and has been linked to several Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Manchester City. As a result, Sporting aren’t willing to let him go easily.
United opted to wait to sack Ten Hag despite reports suggesting they contacted Amorim’s representatives some weeks ago. Senior figures anticipated that it would take time to negotiate Amorim’s exit with Ruud van Nistelrooy taking interim charge while the finer details are worked out.
It looks increasingly likely we won’t see the 39-year-old take his seat in the Old Trafford dugout for several weeks because of this. But all reports are pointing to it being a done deal, with INEOS executive Sir Dave Brailsford seeming to confirm just that to a fan last night.
So why haven’t the club announced it officially yet? Daily Star Sport have taken a closer look at some of the reasons.
Ruben Amorim’s release clause
(Image: PA)
The biggest barrier to appointing a coach who is already employed elsewhere is the compensation you have to pay their current club. Luckily, in this case, Amorim has a fixed release clause set into his existing Sporting contract.
This figure currently stands at €10 million which has reportedly reduced throughout his deal.
It was revealed pretty quickly that United were willing to pay this sum, with Sporting releasing an official statement on Tuesday to the Lisbon Stock Exchange confirming their intention.
Coaching staff release clause
The next big obstacle is the compensation owed to Sporting for Amorim’s coaching team. It’s rumoured that the 39-year-old wants to bring three members of his team to Manchester, having worked with them in previous roles.
His trusted deputy Carlos Fernandes has been with him since the very beginning of his coaching career, with first-team coach Adelio Candido and goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital joining them along the way.
According to The Athletic, United remain in negotiations with Sporting over the release clause for these three coaches which could be one reason why they are delaying the announcement. Also, the club still have to make room for them by letting go of some of the current backroom staff members.
30-day notice period
One interesting part of Amorim’s release clause is that he is required to serve a notice period of 30 days once it has been triggered. This was seen as a big problem for United who initially wanted him in place for their upcoming Premier League fixture against Chelsea.
Sporting insisted that he remain in place until they can identify a suitable replacement though, especially as they are locked in a fight for the Portuguese title and have tough Champions League fixtures to come, including one against Manchester City.
Both clubs seem to have reached a compromise though, with Amorim likely to stay in his current post for the next three games, before taking his position at United during the November international break.
Erik ten Hag’s compensation
(Image: Getty Images)
During the time United have been working on a deal to sign Amorim, it’s likely they will have been negotiating with Ten Hag’s lawyers too.
The Dutchman only signed a contract extension in the summer so will be owed a large pay off given we are only nine games into the season.
The Red Devils also have to watch how much money they spend during this process to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules.
Personal terms and work permit
There’s also the small matter of personal terms and a work permit.
It was reported that Amorim verbally agreed to a United move not long after, or maybe even before, Ten Hag was sacked.
Personal terms have apparently been agreed, but they took time to negotiate, and paperwork still needs to be signed which is another potential reason for a delay in the official announcement. A work permit isn’t expected to be a problem either but it’s still a process that takes time.