Gerrard is allegedly eager to mark his Al-Ettifaq arrival with the acquisitions of Jordan Henderson and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Gerrard declined the initial the invitation to join the Saudi Arabian club. But on Monday he was name the new manager of Al-Ettifaq officially.
The signing of the Liverpool and England veteran is the latest triumph for the Saudi Pro League, which is quickly becoming a major tier in international football.
Unlike Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli, Gerrard’s new employers are not partly controlled by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which should imply that they do not have the same amount of spending authority.
Nonetheless, after finishing seventh last season, there is a desire to stay up with the clubs above them and capitalize on Gerrard’s name.
Gerrard wishes to have Henderson and Abuameyang in his team
Henderson and Aubameyang might be on Gerrard’s list of possible signings.
Henderson is a well-known character at Liverpool, having made 492 appearances in 12 years at Anfield. However, Henderson, while not on the same level as in previous season,
The club captain has played 35 times in the previous two Premier League seasons. He has two years left on his deal with the Merseyside giants.
However, Liverpool is revamping its midfield. Henderson remains a key player under Jurgen Klopp, it is uncertain where he sees his career going from here.
Meanwhile, Aubameyang is a free agent having being declared surplus to requirements at Chelsea both before and after Mauricio Pochettino took over as manager.
The Gabonese international would like to stay in Europe rather than accept a lucrative deal in the Middle East.
However, several of his Chelsea teammates have already relocated to Saudi Arabia. So, it is uncertain whether more arrivals would cause a change of heart.
In the second half of the season, Aubameyang played just 112 minutes for Chelsea in the Premier League after March.
