Steven Gerrard joins exodus to Saudi Arabia after being named Al-Ettifaq boss
Former England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has been appointed manager of Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.
The 43-year-old revealed in June that he had been invited to the country to “look at a potential offer” but would not accept it.
Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked as Aston Villa’s manager in October last year.
Al-Ettifaq were seventh in the 16-team Saudi Pro League last season, finishing 35 points behind champions Al-Ittihad.
The former England midfielder’s move to Saudi Arabia follows a summer of heavy investment by Pro League clubs as several top European players have joined former Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.
Former Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves, and Chelsea trio N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Edouard Mendy are among those who have moved to Saudi Arabia, with Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic to Al-Nasr being the most recent.
Fulham boss Marco Silva is also said to have turned down a £17 million offer to coach Al-Hilal.
The trend underscores the league’s aim to be one of the top five in the world, and it comes on the heels of a June decision by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which owns Newcastle United, to take over four of the country’s leading clubs. Al-Ettifaq is not one of them.
Gerrard quit football in 2016, and his first managerial position was with the Scottish team Rangers.
He took over at Ibrox in 2018 and won the club’s first Scottish Premiership in ten years in 2020-21.
Gerrard subsequently took over as Villa manager in November 2021 but resigned after only 13 wins in 40 games.
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