Steven Gerrard Unveiled As New Manager Of Saudi Pro League Club Al-Etiffaq

Steven Gerrard has made a U-turn and decided to take the offer to become manager of the Saudi Pro League side Al-Etiffaq.

In a tweet, the club introduced their new coach accompanied by a video depicting scenes from Liverpool and the player’s career: ‘Here is the source of the legends  We are pleased to announce the signing of Gerrard as coach of Al Ettifaq Club’.

هنا منبع الأساطير ❤️💚

يُسعدنا الإعلان عن التعاقد مع جيرارد كمدرب لنادي الاتفاق ✍️#جيرارد_اتفاقي pic.twitter.com/Q5e6HpzXLC

— نادي الاتفاق (@Ettifaq) July 3, 2023

His move was also announced on Twitter by the respected football transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano. He tweeted: ‘Official, completed. Steven Gerrard has been appointed as new head coach of Etiffaq. #SaudiLeague’.

Official, completed. Steven Gerrard has been appointed as new head coach of Etiffaq. 🇸🇦🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #SaudiLeaguepic.twitter.com/NKLYsuL1HX

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 3, 2023

Only last week, the 43-year-old former Liverpool and England star told Channel 4 that he would not be accepting the job in the Middle East.

He was previously spotted at the airport in Damman which led to suggestions that he was there to check out a proposal. After rejecting the job, it is reported that he subsequently entered into further negotiations with the club’s bosses, which led to today’s announcement.

Gerrard won the Scottish Premiership with Glasgow Rangers

The footballing legend made a name for himself in management when he took the reins for three years at Glasgow Rangers. He guided them to a Scottish premiership title at a time when Celtic were dominating the league.

A subsequent move to Villa Park ended in his being fired by Aston Villa last October and Gerrard had been out of work since then.

Gerrard will be tasked with bettering Al-Ettifaq’s seventh-place finish last season. They ended the season a massive 35 points adrift of the champions Al-Ittihad, where the former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo is in charge.

Cristiano Ronaldo pioneered the move by top stars to Saudi Arabia

The Saudi Pro League is attracting a host of huge names from European football, a precedent that was set by the Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo.

The star was ignominiously booted out of Manchester United and accepted an offer to join Al-Nassr. Ever since he made the switch to ply his trade in the Kingdom, he has been followed by some top talent.

In recent weeks, the likes of Ruben Neves, N’Golo Kante, Edouard Mendy, Karim Benzema, and Kalidou Koulibaly have all signed lucrative contracts. More top names are believed to be in the process of negotiating moves to Saudi Arabia.