Steven Gerrard demanded to quit £15m-a-year job as Saudi spell hits devastating new low

Liverpool hero Steven Gerrard has been told to hand Al-Ettifaq chiefs his resignation after his side were dumped out of the Saudi Cup by second division team Al-Jabalain on Wednesday night. The Saudi Pro League team were second best throughout the encounter as they went down to a 3-1 defeat.

Gerrard was appointed Al-Ettifaq manager in July 2023 after being sacked as Aston Villa boss eight-and-a-half months earlier.

His side could only muster a sixth-place league finish during his maiden campaign in the Middle East and are 10th this season after winning just three of their opening eight top-flight encounters.

Gerrard is said to earn more than £15million in Saudi Arabia but has been unable to lead his side to a league victory since mid-September.

And discussing the former Liverpool midfielder’s future, Saudi-based pundit Nasser Al-Jedaie said: “Gerrard served Al-Ettifaq outside the field, but there are no results for the technical work. What is the project that Gerrard is leading?”

Sports journalist Mohammed Al-Sadaan has insisted that Gerrard’s situation is “sad” and has implored him to resign, while fellow football expert Turki Al-Ajmah has also claimed that the time is right for him to head through the exit doors.

Arab News have reported that Al-Ettifaq are set to sack Gerrard following their embarrassing Saudi Cup result.

They have decided to make the call due to the team’s poor results on the pitch and also because of the 44-year-old’s regular trips to Bahrain and the fact he bases schedules on Liverpool matches.

Gerrard may have thrown himself under the bus during an interview with The Redmen TV, which was posted at the weekend, when he admitted that Liverpool matches are taken into consideration when he and Al-Ettifaq goalkeeping coach John Achterberg are preparing schedules.

“John and I have got more than one eye on it. We put all our schedule around the Liverpool games,” he explained. “The players are onto me now – we’ve been training at 9 or 10 at night.”

Gerrard began his managerial career at Liverpool’s academy and was handed his first senior role when he took charge of Rangers in 2018.

He led the Glasgow outfit to the Scottish Premiership title in 2021 but left the club later that year to take charge at Villa Park.

Following early promise in the west Midlands, his reign ended in misery after he was dismissed following a dismal run of form, with Unai Emery subsequently coming in and taking the club to the Champions League.