Liverpool seems to have made its decision. Pending the formalities, Arne Slot will be the new head coach, replacing Jürgen Klopp.

The Feyenoord manager came from left-field, but news that he was Liverpool's choice gathered momentum quickly once it had broken. Slot himself has all but confirmed he will be coming to Anfield.

Before that, Sporting manager Rúben Amorim was considered the favorite. With two games to go, he has wrapped up the Liga Portugal title, his second in four seasons amid the usual battle with Porto and Benfica.

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One thing that seemed certain was that Amorim would be on the move somewhere this summer. With no disrespect to Sporting, his record appeared to have earned him a move to one of Europe's top five leagues, even if Liverpool had its reasons for preferring Slot — potentially including the Portuguese coach's commitment to playing a back three.

It appeared for a brief period that Amorim was bound for West Ham. He flew over talks. But he later apologized for the timing of that meeting, with Sporting still fighting to secure the title at that point, and a move to the London Stadium has not materialized.

Now, per ESPN, Amorim has told Sporting fans that he will stay at the club. "I stay, I have a contract with Sporting. I dedicate it [league title] to all the Sporting fans," he vowed, having wrapped up the division. "Now we will try to go for a third [domestic league crown since he took over]."

Star Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres was unable to make the same commitment. He admitted he 'can't promise anything' about his own future — Liverpool has been tentatively mentioned, although those links appeared to be tied in to Amorim's future.

Liverpool.com says: It's very interesting to see Amorim seemingly staying put. But at just 39, there is no major rush, and there's only so far his stock can fall in a league where a top-three finish is about as safe as anything gets in football.

Should he secure a third league title, perhaps alongside a little bit of success in the Champions League, Amorim would find himself with almost a pick of clubs next summer. Hopefully that will not include Liverpool, but this does represent something of an insurance policy in the event that Slot fails.

The club has conducted an extensive process, and is clearly confident that Slot is a better choice than Amorim. There's no reason to imagine Liverpool will be looking to switch come 2025 — and if they are, Xabi Alonso will surely top the list. Nevertheless, as the Reds enter the unknown, it's reassuring that some good candidates look set to remain on the market.