Steven Gerrard has been named head coach of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq.
Al-Ettifaq are also showing interest in acquiring Alvaro Morata and Philippe Coutinho for the Liverpool icon.
After initially rejecting a transfer to Saudi Arabia, the 43-year-old has now accepted a hefty offer from the Dammam-based team.
On Monday, executives from Al-Ettifaq were in London finalizing Gerrard’s nomination ahead of the confirmation.
Gerrard committed to the post after a second round of negotiations with the Saudi club, which is investing millions in player recruiting to assist their new manager construct a team of worldwide superstars.
The Public Invest Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia has assumed ownership of four of the Pro League’s major clubs: Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Ahli.
Ettifaq, on the other hand, believes they can fight with the PIF-run clubs for the crown next season. Brazil’s Coutinho is one of the players Ettifaq is contemplating signing.
Gerrard and Coutinho have a long history of collaboration. They were teammates at Liverpool FC. Later Coutinho, signed by Aston Villa and he left the Reds.
The 31-year-old is under contract at Villa Park. But it is unclear if he will have a long-term future under Unai Emery. Last season, Coutinho’s outings suffered by injuries, which also led him to miss Brazil’s World Cup campaign.
Similarly, Morata’s future at Atletico Madrid is unknown. The Spanish club willing to sell the former Chelsea striker for a bargain this summer.
Initial talks for the Spanish have begun, with Al-Ettifaq attempting to persuade him to become one of Gerrard’s first signings.
This summer, Morata is attracting attention from Italian clubs, including Champions League finalists Inter Milan and Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Al-Hilal is additionally heavily in link to the striker.
Steven Gerrard is the New Manager of Saudi Pro League Al-Ettifaq
Gerrard, who has been out of work since leaving Aston Villa in October, denied taking the position in Saudi earlier this month.
‘I was asked over there to look at a prospective offer, and I’ve been analyzing it, but where I am right now, I won’t be accepting it,’ he explained.
Gerrard, on the other hand, is now sure of Al-Ettifaq’s aim to become the country’s newest high-profile figure.
The club announced his arrival on social media with a slick video. Highlights of his brilliant Liverpool playing career are shown on Twitter, followed by an odd tweet in which he speaks Arabic to the club’s supporters.
‘Hello, my name is Steven Gerrard, I am an Al-Ettifaqi,’ a visibly uncomfortable Gerrard appears to say, closing with the phrase’see you soon’ in English.
Amnesty International UK’s Economic Affairs Director, Peter Frankental, commented to the move by
