Newcastle flop set to become huge Man City figure - and could bring in pal to replace Pep Guardiola
Manchester City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain is set to leave the club and Sporting chief Hugo Viana, who had a spell at Newcastle as a player, is in line to replace him
by Matthew Cooper · The MirrorFormer Newcastle midfielder Hugo Viana is reportedly in the frame to become Manchester City's new sporting director.
City's current sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, is set to leave the club at the end of the season after more than a decade at the helm. Begiristain previously worked as Barcelona's director of football and was instrumental in City persuading Pep Guardiola to take over in 2016.
"If Txiki worked for Chelsea, I would probably have called Chelsea," Guardiola admitted after joining City. And according to reports, Viana has emerged as a frontrunner to replace Begiristain after impressing as director of football at Sporting.
Viana was signed by Newcastle as a teenage prospect for £8.5million back in 2002, but he struggled to make much of an impact and spent time out on loan at Sporting and Valencia before joining the Spanish club permanently.
After retiring, Viana briefly became Belenenses' director of football before returning to Sporting in 2018 where he has helped the club win two Primeira Liga titles. Viana has formed a strong working relationship with in-demand manager Ruben Amorim and he could bring the 39-year-old with him to the Etihad when Guardiola decides to leave.
Amorim was heavily linked with Liverpool last summer and has already been described as "one of the best" managers by Guardiola. "From my point of view, their coach is one of the best at the moment. His team, it was very, very good," he said.
And Amorim counts Guardiola and Jose Mourinho among his coaching influences. Speaking ahead of City's clash with Sporting in the Champions League in 2022, Amorim said Guardiola "is a reference for all managers.".
He told reporters: "My manager reference has always been Mourinho, but Guardiola is, in my opinion, the best coach in the world today. Manchester City are the best team in technical and tactical terms.
"Sporting are very structured, not very flexible, but Guardiola is the opposite and has a huge flexibility. It's like I'm in elementary school and he's in higher education. He is a reference for all managers."
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