Gerrard joins Saudi Al Ettifaq

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is the latest star name to make the move to Saudi Arabia after signing a deal to become head coach of Al Ettifaq.
The 43-year-old has been out of the game since being sacked by Aston Villa in October.
Gerrard had previously said he had turned down an offer to head to the Gulf state, but has now been lured by the riches on offer.
“Where legends are found. We’re thrilled to announce Steven Gerrard is our new head coach,” the club said in a post on Twitter. Al Ettifaq finished seventh out of 16 clubs in the Saudi Pro League last season.
Backed by the nation’s sovereign wealth fund, the Saudi Pro League is luring big names from the major European leagues with the promise of huge salaries. Croatian World Cup player Marcelo Brozovic has also switched to Saudi Arabia, his new club Al Nassr announced yesterday.
The 30-year-old midfielder captained Inter Milan as they lost the Champions League final to Manchester City in June. He has played 87 times for Croatia.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr in January started the trend. His former Real Madrid teammate Karim Benzema and French World Cup winner N’Golo Kante of Chelsea have recently joined Al Ittihad.
Former Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo and ex-Benfica Jorge Jesus are among the coaches to head to Saudi.
Since retiring from a glittering playing career, Gerrard did have success during his spell in charge of Scottish giants Rangers, where he won the club’s only league title in the past 12 years in 2020/21.
Brighton sign Dutch goalkeeper Verbruggen
Brighton announced the signing of Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht yesterday. The 20-year-old will reportedly cost the Seagulls £16 million ($20 million) and has signed a five-year deal with the Premier League club. Verbruggen was named player of the season at Anderlecht last season despite only breaking into the first team in December.
He helped the Belgian giants reach the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League and earned a call-up to the Netherlands senior squad for the first time in March. Brighton finished sixth in the Premier League last season to qualify for European football for the first time in the club’s history.
But manager Roberto De Zerbi dropped Spanish international Robert Sanchez as his number one midway through the season in favour of Jason Steele’s ability to pass out from the back.
“I am very pleased to have signed Bart,” said De Zerbi. “He is used to playing a type of football similar to ours and he will have no problem fitting into our group.
“He has the potential to become a very important player for the club in the coming years.”
Verbruggen becomes Brighton’s fourth signing of the transfer window, following Brazilian forward Joao Pedro and midfielders James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud.