Steven Gerrard has reportedly signed a two-year contract extension at Saudi Arabian club, Al-Ettifaq.
The Liverpool legend took charge of the Middle Eastern side in July 2023, though has endured a tough start to life in his new job with some reports in recent weeks claiming he was at risk of getting sacked. Al-Ettifaq are currently stuck in eighth place in the division standings, some 28 points behind leaders Al-Hilal.
One of Gerrard’s marquee summer signings was the addition of Jordan Henderson, who now looks set to bring an early end to his time at Al-Ettifaq. Henderson is on the verge of signing for Ajax, having agreed to terminate his three-year deal at the club.
Such news has not appeared to deter Gerrard from the task in hand, however, with the Athletic stating he has agreed to extend his stay as manager of the Saudi side. This deal is set to keep the 43-year-old at the club until 2027.
This news comes after reports suggesting the one-time Reds captain was under mounting pressure in Saudi Arabia due to his side’s below-par season to date. Al-Ettifaq recruited the likes of Gini Wijnaldum, Demarai Gray and Moussa Dembele and were expected to be challenging at the top of the table.
Gerrard’s side have not won a league match since October, a run stretching to eight games, and the 2005 Champions League winner was forced to take responsibility for the situation in which the club finds itself in their most recent outing – a 1-1 draw with bottom of the league Al-Hazem on December 28.
“I am the first to hold responsibility and I will not blame anyone,” he said. “I know our financial capacity well and we have the opportunity to make signings that will improve the team. You can find players in other teams who scored 13 goals. We have Moussa who scored eight, Gini scored six and the rest either scored one or two goals.”
