Steven Gerrard’s time as manager of Al-Ettifaq is set to come to an end, GIVEMESPORT sources can exclusively reveal – with his exit set to be imminent, which will bring to an end his 18-month spell in the Saudi Pro League.
Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq in July 2023 after being sacked by Aston Villa just nine months prior, signing stars such as Jordan Henderson, Moussa Dembele, Georginio Wijnaldum and Demarai Gray in his first transfer window at the club, alongside adding international stars such as Karl Toko Ekambi and Seko Fofana in the January transfer period. A respectable sixth-placed finish in the league transpired, and Gerrard currently has the club 12th in the league table at present. But it appears that his time will come to an end, with the Liverpool legend asking to leave the club immediately, sources have stated.
Sources have exclusively revealed that Gerrard has asked to leave Al-Ettifaq, and his departure is expected immediately, alongside his assistant Michael Beale. Al-Ettifaq have not sacked Gerrard, and he has asked to leave for personal reasons. The club are being respectful of his decision, and an exit package is being finalised.
However, this is not necessarily the end of Gerrard’s relationship with Saudi clubs, as he could be open to a role in football development in the Middle East.
Al-Ettifaq represented Gerrard’s third club in management. His dugout debut came at Rangers, taking charge of 193 games over a three-and-a-half-year period in Glasgow, where he won the Scottish Premiership with the Light Blues – and that saw Villa take him on after Dean Smith’s departure.
Lasting just under a year in the west Midlands, Gerrard left Villa in October 2022 with a mid-table Premier League finish under his belt, with Al-Ettifaq his next point of call. Gerrard has since won 23 of his 59 competitive matches in charge of the Dammam-based outfit, securing a top-half finish last season. The Anfield hero, 44, has now won 161 of his 292 games in footballing management, recording a win percentage of 55.1 percent – of which 39 percent came in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Ettifaq currently have two options to replace Gerrard. Former player and manager Saad Al-Shehri is under consideration, whilst Bahrain coach Dragan Talajić is the other candidate of interest.
