Steven Gerrard wanted Championship position before Saudi move

Steven Gerrard wanted Championship management position before agreeing to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq but reveals he never heard back from potential opportunities

• Steven Gerrard was keen to take over managing a club in the Championship
• The two clubs, believed to be Leeds and Leicester, never got back to Gerrard
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Steven Gerrard has revealed that he was spurned by two Championship clubs ahead of his move to Saudi Arabia.

The Liverpool legend, speaking after his Al-Ettifaq side secured an upset, opening 2-1 victory over a Cristiano Ronaldo-less Al-Nassr, said he headed to the Middle East after failing to hear back from the pair, believed to be Leicester City and Leeds United.

‘I had a couple of other things on the table at Championship level and I had to make a decision what I believed was right for me,’ ex-Glasgow Rangers and Aston Villa boss Gerrard explained when asked why he did not agree to come to Saudi when he was first approached. 

‘In time with being patient, this was the best offer on the table because we had two offers that had a chance, they were took away from me rather than me making that decision.’

The 43-year-old, who made new signing Jordan Henderson his captain, added: ‘I was in for two Championship jobs. I’m not afraid to say that, I never got them jobs, and I didn’t want to stay out of the game much longer and this was the best thing on the table at the time.’

Steven Gerrard revealed he was spurned by two Championship clubs ahead of his Saudi move

Gerrard eventually decided to move to Saudi Arabia to take over at Pro League side Al-Ettifaq

Gerrard said that Al-Ettifaq needed to make changes before he could agree a deal that is thought to have made him one of the highest paid managers in the world. ‘To be fair to the club, they needed a preseason plan,’ he explained. 

‘They needed to make signings, they needed to make alterations to the environment, the facilities, big decisions needed making from their side of things.’

After seeing his side come from behind to a Sadio Mane strike to take three points in searing Dammam, where kick-off took place in temperatures of 36 Celsius, Gerrard also disclosed that he would like to return to the UK in the future. ‘I’ve got ambitions to go back at some point,’ he said. 

‘I’ve got ambitions to be the best manager I can be and be involved in the biggest challenges out there, but in terms of do I think this will happen, they’re obviously questions for other people, but by doing well here, I’m sure it’ll give me a better chance.’

The former England man, who saw goals from Swede Robin Quaison and former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele secure a precious victory, admitted he was having to make adjustments to his management style thanks to the ferocious climate.

‘When I’m sitting in my house, and I have Sky News on, you see different countries around the world come up and numbers and heat, you don’t really realise and appreciate that type of heat until you actually come and work in these conditions,’ he said. 

‘The climate has definitely been tough and challenging. I’m definitely more used to European weather than Saudi weather, so I’m going to have to adapt, and so are some of the signings we’ve made from Europe. It means we have to do things slightly different if you like, compared to what I used to do at Rangers and Villa. We don’t want to leave our energy on the training pitch, so we have to go shorter and really look after the players’ recovery.’

Gerrard added that he was also missing his loved ones. ‘There’s a personal challenge off the pitch,’ he said. ‘My family aren’t here, they’re due to arrive in the coming weeks, so that’ll certainly help. 

Gerrard has made former Liverpool team-mate Jordan Henderson (right) his captain 

Gerrard admitted he was excited to see Neymar (left) agree a deal to come to Saudi Arabia

‘I’m facing the challenges, accepting them, I know what I’ve signed up for, but there will be a settling in period and we will have to adapt, not just me but my coaching staff and some of the signings we’ve made but that’s on us.’

A delighted Gerrard hailed the influence of Henderson, who came off in the 87th minute. ‘We put him in a position in the team where he can be our on pitch coach, if you like,’ he said. ‘We know what he brings to the table, I certainly do more than others. 

‘He is still not match fit because of the summer, we know he’s extremely fit anyway. He played for the sake of the team tonight, was not necessarily ready, but I think he showed what an elite athlete he is because to play in that heat for that long at the level he’s at was a credit to him.’

Henderson (right) competed against his former Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane (left)

Gerrard admitted moving to Saudi Arabia has meant he has missed spending time with loved ones

Neymar is set to be announced as the latest big money arrival in the SPL, joining Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain, and Gerrard is excited but wary of the challenge the Brazilian will bring. 

‘The name speaks for itself,’ he said. ‘He’s given me so much joy to watch him, Barcelona, PSG, Brazil, I don’t think the boy gets enough credit for the numbers that he’s put up in the last decade or so. 

‘I don’t want him to come because he’s not coming to my team, but he’ll certainly bring a lot of value and quality and credibility. He is in Hollywood terms an A-list football star, the name speaks for itself, and it makes my job extremely hard.’

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