Former England and Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard has been named new head coach of Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.
The club confirmed Gerrard’s appointment on their Twitter handle.
The former Reds skipper signed a two-year contract with the Saudi club.
Gerrard, 43, had said in June he had been invited over to the country to “look at a potential offer” but that he would not be taking it up.
“Without a doubt, Gerrard’s presence will be an addition and a quantum leap to our league,” said Khalid Al-Dabal, the club’s chairman.
Al-Ettifaq were seventh in the 16-team Saudi Pro League last season, finishing 35 points behind champions Al-Ittihad.
Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked as Aston Villa manager in October last year.
His move to Saudi Arabia follows a summer of heavy investment by Pro League clubs as several top European players have joined Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo in the Middle East.
1 Comment
What I want to know is how did Gerrard cope with pronouncing the name of his new employer? The English are notorious for being terrible at pronouncing foreign names. He likely almost experienced a cardiac event trying to pronounce this one. Good on you Stevie. A little oil money never hurt nobody.