Steven Gerrard's 26 transfers this summer as Liverpool icon oversees mega Saudi clear out

Steven Gerrard has overseen a drastic overhaul at Al-Ettifaq in the hope of enjoying a far better season in the Saudi Pro League. The Liverpool icon underwhelmed during his first campaign, leading his side to a sixth-placed finish.

Gerrard has responded by overseeing a total of 22 deals and has decided to not make permanent a further four players’ loan spells. A slightly more domestic-facing approach to business has seen them sign only two non-Saudi Arabian players.

Al-Ettifaq are not one of the clubs under the majority ownership of the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The structure of their ownership is unclear but they still splashed the cash last summer and took advantage of the high-profile European stars willing to accept vast sums of money to join the SPL.

Jordan Henderson, Demarai Gray, Georginio Wijnaldum, Jack Hendry and Moussa Dembele were all signed. That core of European talent – apart from Henderson following his January move to Ajax – has remained while the rest of the squad has been torn apart.

Gerrard’s determination to rebuild has seen him move on a eyebrow-raising 13 players. Among them, Saudi youth internationals Ahmed Al-Ghamdi and Saad Al-Mousa have been snapped up by rivals Al-Ittihad in a combined £10m transaction.

That has paved the way for nine additions. As has been a theme across most of the SPL, there have been few major moves from Europe this summer. Seven of Gerrard’s brand-new signings are Saudi Arabian.

One of the exceptions is the former Fulham reserve goalkeeper Marek Rodak. French midfielder Seko Fofana has also had his loan renewed after joining from Al-Nassr on an initial six-month basis in the January window.

Otherwise, Al-Ettifaq have bolstered their ranks with homegrown talent. Only two are under the age of 26, suggesting that Gerrard felt his side required experience heading into the new season.

That a huge group of 10 players have returned to the club from loan spells adds an entirely different complexity to Gerrard’s plans for the 2024-25 season.

The 44-year-old struggled for consistency during his first campaign. There was a run of nine winless matches which came to an end just prior to the winter break.

Instead of piling pressure on their boss, the Al-Ettifaq hierarchy handed him a new contract and there were promises about him developing the sport in the country – which is reflected in the transfer business conducted this summer.

Gerrard will hope that his new signings will help him compete with the four PIF-backed Saudi clubs. He needs a much better season than the last one to ensure he is retained by the Dammam-based side.