Steven Gerrard has returned to management in Saudi Arabia after playing hardball with his new employers.
The former Rangers and Aston Villa boss has been announced as the new head coach of Al-Ettifaq - a matter of weeks after suggesting their contract offer wasn’t up to scratch.
Gerrard, sacked by Villa last year, was invited to the Middle East last month and held talks with club officials, but on his return to England insisted: “As we stand right now, I won’t be taking that offer up."
But after holding further talks with officials of the side who finished seventh in the Saudi Pro League last term, Gerrard has now agreed to take on the role.
Gerrard follows a number of big-name stars in the footballing world to make the move to the Middle-East this summer. Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Ruben Neves, Edouard Mendy and Kalidou Koulibaly are amongst those to have joined the Saudi Pro League revolution - six months after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr.
One of Gerrard’s first transfer targets is set to be Philippe Coutinho, with Aston Villa keen to part ways with the Brazilian. It was Gerrard who took the ex-Liverpool man to Villa Park after his dream move to Barcelona turned sour.
An initial loan move was made permanent at major expense, but with Unai Emery happy to part ways with Coutinho - the Spaniard prefers Emi Buendia, John McGinn and Jacob Ramsey in his attacking midfield roles - and few European giants keen, a reunion with Gerrard may well be on the cards.
Gerrard’s fledgling coaching career got off to a fantastic start north of the border, guiding Rangers to their first title since 2011 - stopping arch rivals Celtic winning 10 on the spin in the process.
But after leaving the Glasgow giants for Villa, the reality of management came into focus. The former England skipper lasted just 11 months at Villa Park and was sacked in October of last year after winning just two of their 12 games.
Gerrard remained magnanimous after his departure, releasing a statement which read: "I would like to thank everyone connected to Aston Villa Football Club, for the support shown to me during my time there.
"I would personally like to thank the board of directors, the players and all the staff for their hard work.
"To the fans, it is regrettable that it didn't work out in the end. But I owe you a debt of gratitude for the way you welcomed me into your club, and continued to push the team on during difficult times.
"Aston Villa is a club with a special history, I really wanted to bring back those memorable achievements, unfortunately it wasn't to be. I wish everyone at the club all the very best for the future. Steven Gerrard."
He was in turn replaced by Unai Emery who transformed the club's fortunes to end the season in seventh, securing a return to European football in the process.
Gerrard has been linked with several roles since becoming a free agent but has bided his time ahead of securing his third permanent managerial role. That wait is now over, with the new Saudi Pro League starting in August.
