Simon Jordan mystified by new Steven Gerrard contract which rivals Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp’s wages despite ‘winning record that would get most teams relegated’
Simon Jordan can’t believe Steven Gerrard is on a salary that rivals Premier League-winning managers after being handed a contract extension at Al Ettifaq.
The Liverpool legend has penned fresh terms to keep him in charge of the Saudi Arabia club until 2027, despite a winning record Jordan says ‘would get most teams relegated’.
Gerrard enjoyed a promising start to life in the Middle East, leading his team to five wins from their first seven games, but that has all changed after an almighty slump in form.
Al Ettifaq hadn’t won a game in their last eight matches before the mid-season break, last enjoying a victory back in October, to leave them eighth in the table and a full 25 points adrift of Al-Hilal despite a host of ex-Premier League talent in their ranks.
To make matters worse, Gerrard has lost his captain and key player Jordan Henderson, after the ex-Liverpool midfielder performed a U-turn on his Saudi move to return to Europe with Ajax, plus trusted assistant coach Ian Foster has departed to become manager of Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
And yet, he’s just been handed a bumper contract that is worth a reported £15million-a-year.
That puts his annual salary on par with a host of the top managers in the game, and only behind three elite coaches as the fourth best-paid coach in world football.
According to figures published by L'Equipe in 2023, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is the highest-paid football coach with an annual salary of £29.8million, followed by Man City coach Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
And Jordan is baffled Gerrard is up there with the decorated coaches, saying the Saudi side have ‘rewarded mediocrity’.
“He’s got a win record that would get most teams relegated, and yet he gets a
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