Steven Gerrard turns down move to Saudi Arabia
Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard has revealed he has turned down the opportunity to manage Saudi Pro League team Al Ettifaq.
Gerrard is one of many famous football faces that have been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia in recent months. Ballon d'Or winners Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema both made the move to the Middle East recently, each signing mega money deals to do so, while N'Golo Kante and Ruben Neves are set to follow suit soon.
However, a notable big name that wasn't lured to Saudi Arabia this summer was Lionel Messi, who turned down an offer worth in excess of €400m per season from Al Hilal to move to Inter Miami.
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Ex-Aston Villa and Rangers manager Gerrard has now joined Messi in turning down the opportunity to head to Saudi Arabia. Speaking on Channel 4 during coverage of England's thumping 7-0 win over North Macedonia, Gerrard revealed that he rejected an offer from Al Ettifaq.
"I was invited over there to look at a potential offer, which I did. I have been analysing that over the last couple of days. But, as we stand right now, I won’t be taking that offer up," he explained.
Gerrard has been out of work since being sacked by Aston Villa in October with the club precariously placed above the Premier League relegation zone. Successor, Unai Emery, led them to a seventh-place finish, securing Europa Conference League football, and Gerrard's disappointing stint at Villa followed an impressive one at Rangers, where he helped the club to their first league title in a decade.