هل سيكون ستيفن جيرارد قريبًا في الدوري السعودي؟

The British newspaper “The Athletic” reported that Steven Gerrard is set to coach Al-Ittihad Club in Saudi Arabia for the upcoming season. This will be the former Liverpool captain’s first job since leaving Aston Villa in October last year.

Initially, Steven Gerrard turned down an offer from Al-Ittihad after traveling to Saudi Arabia for talks last month. However, discussions resumed last week, and the club’s top officials are increasingly confident about securing his services.

Prior to managing Aston Villa, Gerrard spent three years coaching Rangers, leading them to win the Scottish title in 2020-2021.

Saudi Public Investment Fund to Control Major Football Clubs

The Saudi Ministry of Sports announced on June 5th that the country’s Public Investment Fund will take control of the four major clubs in the Saudi Professional League.

The Public Investment Fund, which owns an 80% stake in Newcastle United playing in the English Premier League, controls 75% of Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Hilal, and Al-Nassr, while a non-profit organization controls 25% of Al-Ittihad. The club, based in Dammam, is not one of the four major clubs.

The Saudi government announced plans as part of its “Vision 2030” project. In January, Cristiano Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr, while Al-Hilal made attempts to entice Lionel Messi with a €400 million annual contract before he chose to join Inter Miami.

Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante completed their moves to Al-Ittihad, while Kalidou Koulibaly and Robin Neves joined Al-Hilal. Marcelo Brozovic is expected to complete his move to Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, marking a trend of European stars migrating to Saudi Arabia this summer.