Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq have officially confirmed the departure of their manager, Steven Gerrard, by mutual consent following a challenging campaign.

Gerrard, who took charge of the club in July 2023, initially signed a long-term contract extension in January 2024. However, despite leading Al-Ettifaq to a sixth-place finish last season, the team’s poor run of form this term saw them drop to 12th in the league standings, ultimately leading to his exit.

Reports of Gerrard’s growing frustrations had surfaced in recent weeks, and the club has now reached an agreement to terminate his contract.

Expressing his appreciation for his time at the club, the former Liverpool captain said: “I want to express my gratitude to the club, the players, the fans and everyone involved for the opportunity and the support during my time here, especially the president, Mr. Samer, CEO Mr. Hamad and the head of the football committee Mr. Hatim.

“I express my gratitude for Mr. Samer and Mr. Hatim from the first day I was warmly welcomed and I have enjoyed to work in a new country with a different culture. So overall I have learnt a lot and it’s been a positive experience personally and for my family as well.

“But football is unpredictable, and sometimes things don’t go the way we want. However, I leave with the great respect for the club and the country, I have no doubt that the work being done will bring success in the future, and I wish the team the very best for the rest of the season.”

During his tenure, Gerrard oversaw several high-profile signings, including former Liverpool teammate Jordan Henderson, whose stint in Saudi Arabia was short-lived as he left for Ajax after just six months.

Other notable arrivals such as Demarai Gray, Georginio Wijnaldum, Jack Hendry, and Moussa Dembélé remain with the club.

With Gerrard’s departure, Al Ettifaq will now look to appoint a new manager to stabilize their season and push for better results in the Saudi Pro League.

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has finalized his transfer to Al Ettifaq of the Saudi Pro League.

The former Reds captain, who recently chose to accept Al Ettifaq’s offer to coach the team, has reconnected with the England international.

Henderson was one of the players Gerrard initially wanted to sign when we first made the announcement at the beginning of July.

Henderson’s 12-year tenure at Anfield has come to an end after signing a contract with Al Ettifaq.

https://twitter.com/Ettifaq_EN/status/1684523750966849537

On Wednesday, the midfielder tweeted a lengthy farewell letter to the team’s supporters.

It's hard to put these last 12 years into words and it's even harder to say goodbye. I will always be a Red. Until the day I die.

Thank you for everything.

You'll never walk alone.

Jordan ❤️https://t.co/nj2dY6S58W

— Jordan Henderson (@JHenderson) July 26, 2023

Liverpool also sent him a farewell message, wishing him well after he had inspired one of the team’s most prosperous eras.

“As his Anfield chapter now comes to a close with a move to Al Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, everybody at Liverpool Football Club wishes to place on record their thanks and gratitude for everything Jordan Henderson did for the club during his 12 years as a Red,” the club’s long statement ended.

Henderson left Sunderland in 2011 to join Liverpool, although in his first few years on Merseyside, he had trouble leaving a positive impact.

Following Steven Gerrard’s departure in 2015, he was given the captaincy. Under Brendan Rodgers, he emerged as one of their important players during the 2013–14 Premier League season in which they narrowly missed winning the championship.

Henderson leaves Liverpool having made 492 appearances, scored 33 goals, and won eight trophies, including seven while serving as captain.

We can confirm @JHenderson has completed a transfer to Al-Ettifaq.

As his Anfield chapter now comes to a close, everyone at the club wishes to place on record their thanks and gratitude for everything Jordan did for us during his 12 years as a Red 👏

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 27, 2023

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According to reports, Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane has agreed a deal in principle to join Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.

One of the more well-known players this transfer window who has been linked to a move to the Middle East is the former Liverpool player.

After a somewhat lacklustre 12 goals in 38 appearances across all competitions in his debut season with Bayern, Mane gained notoriety for his physical altercation with teammate Leroy Sane after a Champions League defeat.

Mane originally declined to negotiate a move to Saudi Arabia, but according to rumours in May, Bayern would consider bids for him.

Steven Gerrard sought to ramp up Saudi Pro League interest in Mane after taking over at Al Ettifaq, but 90min understands he has now quickly reached an agreement in principle on personal terms with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr.

Mane emphasizes that he would not have even considered moving to Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago, thus the decision represents a significant U-turn.

Bayern expects to not be able to return the £35 million they spent to Liverpool to recruit Mane, but they will try to bring in a number that is as near to that amount as they can.

The Bundesliga champions are hopeful that the deal will move through quickly and that Mane will soon sign with Al Nassr.

Bayern Munich is still interested in getting Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur, according to sources who spoke to mp3bullet, but Spurs have reportedly continued to refuse to even set a price for their star striker.

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Following Lionel Messi’s transfer to Inter Miami, Cristiano Ronaldo asserts that the Saudi Pro League is superior to Major League Soccer and declares he would never play in Europe again.

After his contract with Manchester United expired in December of last year, Ronaldo made the unexpected move to Al-Nassr.

This summer, a number of well-known athletes have moved to Saudi Arabia, including Steven Gerrard, the former captain of Liverpool, Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante, and Roberto Firmino.

After choosing to leave Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer earlier this summer, Messi decided to take a different route and was later presented as Inter Miami’s new signing on Sunday evening.

Ronaldo strongly ruled out a return to European football after Al-Nassr were defeated 5-0 by Celta Vigo on Monday night in a preseason friendly and believes several leagues have dropped in quality.

‘No, that door is completely closed,’ Ronaldo told Portuguese media when asked about a potential return to a European club.

‘I’m already 38-and-a-half years old and it’s not worth it.

‘In my way of seeing football, I think Europe has lost a lot of quality. The only league that for me has a lot of quality and is at a higher level than all the others is the Premier League.

‘The Spanish league does not have that great quality. The Portuguese league is a good league, but it is not a top, top league. The German league I think has also lost a lot. I’m sure I won’t play in Europe again. I want to play in Saudi Arabia.

Asked about a possible move to MLS, Ronaldo replied: ‘I think the Saudi league is much better than the United States. My team is Al-Nassr.’

Ronaldo, 38, also believes he has been the catalyst for several other players to make the move from Europe to Saudi Arabia this year.

‘100 per cent. It’s a fact,’ Ronaldo said.

‘It was going to take a year, but it was six months. I was wrong for six months.

‘But I knew this was going to happen because in the Italian league, when I went there, it was also dead and then rejuvenated.

‘Where Cristiano goes, it generates greater interest and I knew it was going to be like that. I’m sure that next season more stars will go there [to Saudi Arabia].’

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According to reports, Jordan Henderson has accepted an offer from Al Ettifaq, and Liverpool is now prepared to talk transfer fees with Steven Gerrard’s team.

The 33-year-old has given the Saudi Pro League club’s offer, which would allow him to play alongside former teammate Steven Gerrard, significant consideration.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Henderson has now verbally agreed the move in principle and the contract has been agreed. The player has even spoken to manager Jurgen Klopp and the coach has given him the “green light” to make the move.

Henderson is under contract with Liverpool through 2025, and they will seek a transfer price in exchange for the player. Before giving him permission to fly to Saudi Arabia, the two teams will now negotiate the player’s value.

Romeo Lavia of Southampton has already been identified by Liverpool as a potential replacement, and the club is prepared to make a proposal for the midfielder, who is valued at £50 million ($63 million).

Al-Ittihad are apparently preparing a £40 million deal for the Brazilian, and Fabinho has additionally been linked with a move to the Middle East.

After 492 appearances for Liverpool, it appears that Henderson will finally say goodbye to Anfield. After Steven Gerrard left in 2015, he was appointed captain and guided the team to Premier League and Champions League success.

A Liverpool LGBTQ+ organisation is “appalled and concerned” about his decision to play in a nation where homosexuality is prohibited, thus his transfer to Saudi Arabia has outraged some supporters.

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In order to show respect for Steven Gerrard, Alexis Mac Allister has admitted he turned down the chance to wear the number 8 jersey at Liverpool.

The number 8 jersey that Gerrard wore for 10 years at Anfield was really vacant after he left the team in 2015 until Naby Keita joined the team in 2018.

When Keita left on a free transfer this summer, Mac Allister was given the opportunity to wear the number 8—the same one he wore for Boca Juniors in Argentina—but the new signing opted to preserve the 10 from his time at Brighton.

“One day, I was talking to my dad when he asked me what number I would wear for Liverpool,” said Mac Allister. “I knew there were several numbers available – including 10 and 8.

“The number 8 shirt is a very important number in that club because of Gerrard, so I hesitated a bit. I ended up choosing the 10, but 8 is a number that I like a lot and has a history at the club.”

The 10 was a coveted position at Anfield and was famously worn by both Philippe Coutinho and Sadio Mane before the latter’s summer transfer to Bayern Munich.

Mac Allister went on to explain the impact Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had on his decision to move to Anfield.

“After the season ended, I had the chance to talk to Klopp and he told me about the club, the city and what he wanted,” he continued. “The main thing was that from the first moment, they communicated with my family and with me, they wanted me to be there.

“When I was able to speak with the coach, it was made even clearer. It’s the small details that made me choose Liverpool. I feel that it is the right step in my career.”

He added: “We all know that Klopp likes to play a lot on the counterattack, but in recent years there has been a change in his way of playing. He explained to me that he needed players to play between the lines and with a winning mentality.

“I’ve always had that mentality – but even more so after the World Cup. I want to win titles – that’s the goal that the club and I have. Liverpool is one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the world. Its history makes it like this.

“The fans demonstrate in each match in the way they show up. But as well as history, there is a team with great players and a great coach. From the first moment, they showed me a lot of desire for me to be there.”

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The Premier League Hall of Fame has officially honoured Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger as its inaugural managers.

The duo won 16 Premier League titles between them across respective long-term spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.

Ferguson is the most accomplished manager in the competition’s history with 13 of their championships. He is the first manager to have achieved the Premier League’s Triple Title on two separate occasions.

Ferguson said: “I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.

“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.

“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further. Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”

👑 The greatest.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been inducted in the @PremierLeague Hall of Fame 👏#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 29, 2023

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Wenger arrived in England as one of the Premier League’s first foreign coaches in 1996, swiftly proving sceptics wrong by converting Arsenal into title winners and influencing the culture of English football with his scouting and culinary skills.

At Arsenal, he won three Premier League titles, including an unbeaten ‘Invincibles season in 2003/04.

Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.

“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.

“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”

🥁 Our latest inductee to the Premier League Hall of Fame…

It’s a special entry, Gooners 🙌

🏆 One gold trophy
❤️ One Arsene Wenger pic.twitter.com/iNsBbe1A9t

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 29, 2023

In addition to Ferguson and Wenger, there are 16 other inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame.

When the Hall of Fame was established in 2021, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry were the first two individuals to be inducted. During that year, they were followed by David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, and Steven Gerrard.

Inductees for 2022 were Ian Wright, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Patrick Vieira, and Sergio Aguero.

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It has been revealed that former Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch will not become Southampton manager after talks collapsed between both parties.

Only a week and a half after being fired from Leeds, it was claimed that the American was ready to replace the recently ousted Nathan Jones.

However, The Athletic have reported that this move will not go through due to the supposed length of the contract. Saints are thought to have wanted Marsh on a short-term deal with an option to extend, terms that the 49-year-old refused to agree on.

According to reports, Marsch landed in Southampton on Tuesday before negotiations fell down the following day. It will be a setback for the Saints, who fired Jones after only three months in command and apparently intended to have his replacement in place for Saturday’s league game against Chelsea.

Marsch was selected ahead of recently fired ex-England internationals Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard because he had been on the club’s radar for a long time before accepting the Leeds role.

The vacant position with the United States Men’s National Team, which will become available when Gregg Barhalter’s contract expires after the World Cup, maybe the obvious next step in Marsch’s career.

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Meanwhile, Southampton will probably be managed by interim manager Ruben Selles for their future games because he is considered to be a well-liked individual within the club.

The decision would be similar to Leeds, who committed to their trio of co-managers on Tuesday, including Paco Gallardo, Chris Armas, and Michael Skubala, Marsch’s former employers.

All things considered, this is probably a good thing for Marsch. A short-term deal with relegation-bound Southampton may just have been career suicide. Unless Southampton were willing to invest in Marsch as a long-term leader, there’s little reason to take the risk on a club that is so far away from Premier League safety.

After his tenure at Leeds and RB Leipzig, Marsch can now focus on initiatives that are more secure as he attempts to restore his name. Whether or not that position is in a big league, Marsch must do it correctly if he wants to return to the top of the European league.

Or maybe he opts for a different route. That USMNT job will look pretty interesting after all…

With Selles at the helm, Southampton will travel to fellow league strugglers Chelsea on Saturday, whose own manager Graham Potter has often come under fire for his side’s performances this term.

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Pep Guardiola apologized to Steven Gerrard in his news conference for making “unnecessary and stupid comments” when he addressed the Liverpool captain’s memorable slip in 2014 during a Manchester City defense.

Guardiola was speaking about City’s history under Abu Dhabi ownership after the Premier League struck the club with over 100 charges when he mentioned Gerrard’s slip against Chelsea, which helped City win the title that season.

“I don’t know if we are responsible for Steven Gerrard slipping at Anfield. Was that our fault? I have respect for Steven Gerrard – but that moment belongs to us,” Guardiola said on Friday.

However, the City manager expressed remorse for his remarks and apologized to Gerrard directly. He also began his news conference before Wednesday’s trip to Arsenal by publicly apologizing.

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“I apologise to Steven Gerrard for my unnecessary and stupid comments I said the last time about him. He knows how I admire him and his career, what he has done for this country that I am living and training in,” said Guardiola.

“I am ashamed of myself, what he said because he doesn’t deserve it. I truly believe my comments in my previous press conference to defend my club but I didn’t represent my club well putting his name in these stupid comments.

“I apologise and I said to him personally but I have to do it here as well. I’m so sorry for him, for Alex, his wife, kids and family because it was stupid.”

Pep Guardiola has apologised for the "unnecessary" and "stupid" comments he made towards Steven Gerrard.pic.twitter.com/HzhCpUCkx9

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 14, 2023

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Former Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has become the latest football legend to choose between PSG’s Lionel Messi and Al Nassr’s Cristiano Ronaldo.

Torres admitted without hesitation that he preferred Messi over Ronaldo.

Undoubtedly, Messi and Ronaldo are the two greatest players of all time.

Messi and Ronaldo have dominated the sport unlike anyone else, winning a combined 12 Ballon d’Or awards, 1,400 club goals, and 9 UEFA Champions League titles.

Last December in Qatar, Messi even added the FIFA World Cup trophy to his collection; Ronaldo does not have this advantage.

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For more than 12 years, there has been no clear winner in the Messi–Ronaldo dispute.

Over the years, some of the most prestigious football figures have weighed in, with Torres being the most recent to provide his response.

Torres participated in the UEFA Champions League’s ‘This or That’ challenge on TikTok.

With the goal in front of him, the Spaniard had to slot the ball either into Messi’s corner or Ronaldo’s corner.

The former Liverpool forward slid the ball into Messi’s corner without hesitating.

During that segment, he also responded to a few additional questions, choosing Steven Gerrard over Frank Lampard, Erling Haaland over Kylian Mbappe, and Anfield over Stamford Bridge.

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West Ham United have completed and announced the signing of Aston Villa striker Danny Ings in a deal worth £15m.

The 30-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at London Stadium and joins the club to give West Ham, who have only scored 15 Premier League goals this season, more firepower.

In 18 appearances for Villa during 2022–23, Ings has scored six goals, although neither Unai Emery nor his predecessor Steven Gerrard have been able to secure him a regular position.

Mp3bullet revealed on Thursday that West Ham had agreed to sign Ings for £15m – comprised of a £12m guaranteed fee and £3m in add-ons – and he has now become David Moyes‘ second signing of the January transfer window.

“I’m really excited to join West Ham United,” Ings told the club’s official website. “It’s important I settle in as quickly as I can do – and do the important stuff on the pitch for West Ham.

Th-Ings you love to see 😍 pic.twitter.com/7kHRhQoNic

— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 20, 2023

“We’ve got some massive games ahead of us – and I’ve come here to try and score as many goals as I can to help the team to get some positive results. I’m really looking forward to getting started.”

Ings‘ arrival provides competition for Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio up front, who have scored just five Premier League goals between them this season.

The England international has formerly played for Burnley, Liverpool, and Southampton. In 188 Premier League games, he has scored 68 goals, a total that very certainly would have been higher except for a number of major knee injuries.

Ings, who will wear the number 18 jersey, is expected to make his West Ham debut on Saturday in a key Premier League matchup against Everton, another struggling team.

We are delighted to announce the signing of Danny Ings! ⚒️

— West Ham United (@WestHam) January 20, 2023

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