Simon Jordan can’t believe Steven Gerrard is on a salary that rivals Premier League-winning managers after being handed a contract extension at Al Ettifaq.
The Liverpool legend has penned fresh terms to keep him in charge of the Saudi Arabia club until 2027, despite a winning record Jordan says ‘would get most teams relegated’.
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Gerrard’s first season as At Ettifaq manager is not going to plan, but he’s still been rewarded with a huge-money dealCredit: Getty
Gerrard enjoyed a promising start to life in the Middle East, leading his team to five wins from their first seven games, but that has all changed after an almighty slump in form.
Al Ettifaq hadn’t won a game in their last eight matches before the mid-season break, last enjoying a victory back in October, to leave them eighth in the table and a full 25 points adrift of Al-Hilal despite a host of ex-Premier League talent in their ranks.
To make matters worse, Gerrard has lost his captain and key player Jordan Henderson, after the ex-Liverpool midfielder performed a U-turn on his Saudi move to return to Europe with Ajax, plus trusted assistant coach Ian Foster has departed to become manager of Plymouth Argyle in the Championship.
And yet, he’s just been handed a bumper contract that is worth a reported £15million-a-year.
Read more on Steven Gerrard
That puts his annual salary on par with a host of the top managers in the game, and only behind three elite coaches as the fourth best-paid coach in world football.
According to figures published by L’Equipe in 2023, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone is the highest-paid football coach with an annual salary of £29.8million, followed by Man City coach Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
And Jordan is baffled Gerrard is up there with the decorated coaches, saying the Saudi side have ‘rewarded mediocrity’.
“He’s got a win record that would get most teams relegated, and yet he gets a huge reward, which I find absolutely perplexing,” said the White and Jordan host on talkSPORT.
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Credit: Figures according to L’Equipe, 2023
“One of the things that really bugs me in this society is rewarding mediocrity.
“I’m not entirely sure how you can justify giving a manager who has not won a game for quite some time, who has a 30 per cent win record, a new contract with huge financial regards attached to it which are commensurate with managing the Premier League champions.
Footage shows Steven Gerrard telling Al-Ettifaq players to calm down after wild celebrations for second win
“I believe you should be rewarded for excellence, and quite frankly you can make no argument for Gerrard occupying that space right now, but he’s getting huge rewards anyway.
“That tells you a lot about the Saudi Pro League, that it’s not about excellence, it’s about the optics, it’s about the look – what’s that about? How much of a threat is that for football leagues around the world?”
Speaking about his new contract, Gerrard said it was ‘a proud moment’ and ‘recognition of a lot of hard work and commitment’ since he took the job in July 2023.
He also claimed the move to the Middle East with his family, where he has ‘met new people, made new friends and embraced a new culture’, has made him a ‘better person’.
And Jordan couldn’t help but scoff at the Liverpool legend’s ‘self-indulgent unaware tripe’.
Say what you really mean, Simon…
“Everybody would make the same decision he’s made if you’re offered £15m a year to do it,” added the talkSPORT pundit.
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Gerrard’s record in charge of At Ettifaq
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Jordan is stunned Gerrard is now in the top four best-paid football coaches in the worldCredit: talkSPORT
“I don’t know how he can keep a straight face when he says it’s recognition of hard work and achievements, but that is laughable.
“I don’t mean to be consistently mean-spirited, but I can’t take that seriously. What a ridiculous load of self-indulgent unaware tripe.
“It’s complete and utter nonsense – you get rewarded for achievements, not for hard work, and for five months of hard work where what you’ve achieved is a side that is achieving nothing…
“Unless, of course, the owners of the football club are very happy with a 30 per cent win record from their manager. If that was their blueprint, if they said to him, ‘Anything above a 25 per cent record, you get a huge pay rise’ – if that was the brief, then my word has he deserved it! He’s been under-paid!
“They’ve got 900 fans in the stadium, players who don’t want to stay there and a manager who is getting more money than Premier League winners, for managing a team with a Harrods budget and a pub league performance.
“These are the things we’re talking about. Of course, we realise that when you start to make observations that aren’t praise-related to Middle Eastern guys they get all upset about it – but facts are the facts!”
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