Credit: Twitter
After initially deciding against accepting the role, Steven Gerrard has been named coach of Saudi club Ettifaq, the Saudi Pro League club announced on Monday The former midfielder for Liverpool and England declared last month that he would not be accepting a job offer from the Ettifaq FC. The 43-year-old, however, has changed his mind and is now the newest well-known figure to join the expanding league.
Since being fired by Aston Villa in October 2022, when the team was just barely above the relegation zone, the former midfielder has been out of work. Unai Emery, who succeeded him, guided them to a seventh-place finish, earning them a spot in the Europa Conference League. Since then, Gerrard has occasionally appeared as a commentator on Channel 4 and BT Sport. It was at one of these appearances that he disclosed he had first turned down a move to Saudi Arabia.
"I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, which I did," Gerrard said on Channel 4 before England's Euro 2024 Qualifier against North Macedonia. He continued, "I have been analyzing that over the last couple of days. But, as we stand right now, I won't be taking that offer up."
“Where legends are found. We’re thrilled to announce Steven Gerrard is our new head coach,” We are pleased to announce the signing of Gerrard as coach of Al Ettifaq Club ✍️ Al-Ettifaq’s official handle wrote on Twitter wrote on Twitter. The tweet also featured a video clip of Steven Gerard’s greatest goals for Liverpool as well his achievements as a manager.
Watch the video here:
Gerrard relocated to the Middle East this summer, following a number of well-known football celebrities. Six months after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr, Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Edouard Mendy, and Kalidou Koulibaly are among others who have joined the Saudi Pro League.
