Steven Gerrard believes he has a 'lot on common' with new club Al-Ettifaq and that there were a number of factors behind his decision to take the job.
The former Rangers manager shocked the world when he was announced as the new head coach of the Saudi Pro League, biding his time to return to the dugout after being sacked by Aston Villa. It was a poor run of form in the Midlands that saw the Liverpool icon get the axe, and reports suggested an initial offer from the financially-bulging league to Gerrard was deemed insufficient.
Nevertheless the ex-Ibrox man is at the helm of Ettifaq, as debate between his former England team mates Jamie Carragher and Rio Ferdinand raged on social media when the 43-year-old was appointed. Sky Sports man Carragher had called on UEFA and the Premier League to take action over the 'sportswashing' from Saudi but Ferdinand called him out on his 'silence' at Gerrard's move.
Gerrard, however, says there was a number of factors that led to his decision to join Ettifaq and that fans can expect a realignment of the entire club under his watch. He told the club's media: "I think there were a lot of reasons for me wanting to join the club. I think the club has a lot of good people who represent the club from the board down. When I went down to Saudi I got a real family feel, they made me feel extremely welcome.
"There are three things that I always consider and they are in a particular order. It needs to be right for my family first and foremost, we have to be excited and motivated by the challenge. I think the football project needs to be ambitious, it needs to be for the right reasons in terms of the challenge and the remit. And of course you need to feel secure, that the contract is right, but that always comes at the very end.
"It was a combination of reasons and I'm extremely excited and happy. I can't wait to start and meet all the supporters and all the players. But the people I have met so far that represent Al-Ettifaq have been absolutely outstanding and I think we share a lot of things in common."
In a message to the fans, he added: "I think my message to the supporters is I am really happy, I'm really excited. I'm a coach, a manager, that is very ambitious that likes to work tirelessly to make sure that the team is very competitive.
"I'm looking forward to meeting the supporters and so are my staff. If we're all united, we're all together and stay aligned, I'm sure we can achieve our goals together.
"I think the league will continue to grow and evolve I think with fantastic support from the government and ministers and all the clubs throughout the Saudi Pro League, all the supporters, the players, everyone that is involved. We all have an ambition to continue to grow and evolve and make it one of the best leagues in the world.
"I think the club already has an outstanding culture, it already has fantastic support, it has a really important president - we are about to change to a new president - but the board are all aligned, they are all ambitious, very good people who give a lot of time and effort into the club so I want to be part of that culture.
"I want to bring my own standards to try and help and improve from the playing side, I am really looking forward to building relationships with the people above me and hopefully together we can be the support that the team needs to grow, get better and move up the table."
READ NEXT:
