Steven Gerrard’s Saudi U-turn and the ongoing hosing of petro-dollars

It’s a former England midfielder’s prerogative to change his mind and that seems to be exactly what Steven Gerrard has done in the two weeks since revealing he had “received an invitation to look at a potential offer” to manage Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. While working as a pundit on Channel 4’s coverage of England’s recent Euros qualifier against North Macedonia, the perma-furrowed former Rangers and Aston Villa boss said he had “been analysing that over the last couple of days, but as we stand right now, I won’t be taking that offer up”. $tevie’s stance has seemingly shifted in the intervening fortnight, prompting cynics to speculate over what, or more specifically by how much, the size of his mooted salary might have changed to sign a two-year deal, managing an unspeakably wealthy club in a league hosing obscene amounts of petro-dollars at assorted players in a bid to raise its standard and profile.

While Gerrard has yet to announce his decision was made specifically for football reasons, he has recorded a short video in Scouse-Arabic, and a rumoured salary of least £8m ought to help keep the wolf from the door of whatever Dammam des res he ends up hanging his hat in. Once touted as a prospective future Liverpool manager and potential successor to Jürgen Klopp, Gerrard’s career in the dugout got off to a decent start at Rangers before the wheels came off in spectacular style at Villa. He will now get the opportunity to rehabilitate his reputation away from the goldfish bowl of the English league, with any improvement he can mastermind on Al-Ettifaq’s seventh-place finish last season almost certain to catapult him straight into the frame for any future managerial vacancies that might arise at