Some say he didn’t have the best of luck in Aston Villa, others say he is among the majority of great players turned into bad managers (Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, Tony Adams etc.). One thing is for sure – if you go to coach in Saudi Arabia in this moment in time, and you are still very much young in your managerial career, something is wrong. After only two gigs in Europe, Steven Gerrard signed a two-year deal with Al Ettifaq to become their coach. Maybe in the next four or five years situation will be different, but for now, Saudi Arabia can only recruit managers who are close to retirement or those who didn’t do well in Europe and don’t have many good offers (if any). So, Gerrard will join the likes of Nuno Espirito Santo and Rudi Garcia as managers who failed to get jobs on the Old Continent. 🎥 Watch as Steven Gerrard sends his first message to Al-Ettifaq fans after being confirmed as the club’s new boss 🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/lIj1RMNd4i— Football Scotland ⚽️🏴 (@Football_Scot) July 3, 2023 The outcome is not a surprise, but the whole process is since the former Liverpool captain went to Saudi Arabia about two weeks ago and came back without a deal. “I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, which I did. I have been analysing that over the last couple of days. But, as we stand right now, I won’t be taking that offer up” he said as a pundit during the England – North Macedonia game on Channel 4. But in the meantime, he changed his mind, either due to the money issue (it is believed that the Arabs offered more) or due to Al Ettifaq’s willingness to invest seriously into the squad. It is interesting to know that Saudi Arabia’s PIF, owner of Newcastle United, recently bought Al Nassr, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Ahli, but not Al Ettifaq’s. The club believes that with Gerrard at the helm, they can compete with these four clubs, who are recently throwing millions of pounds for Premier League players.Tempted! Stevie G is close to accepting a big offer from Saudi ArabiaIt is believed that Gerrard’s first transfer will be his former player and teammate Coutinho, who is still under contract with Aston Villa. Alvaro Morata is also mentioned, but he also has offers from Italy, so nothing is certain. This will be Gerrand’s third managerial job. He started in Scotland with Rangers and was successful (192 games, 124 wins, one title), but he totally failed when he moved to Aston Villa (40 games, 19 losses). ##NAJAVA_MECA_7347608##
