‘I didn’t expect it’ – Steven Gerrard breaks silence on Al-Ettifaq departure after defeat

A difficult season has been going on for Steven Gerrard’s Saudi Pro League team, Al-Ettifaq, and the departure of midfielder Seko Fofana has not helped matters. Gerrard is fighting to maintain his team in the top level of the Saudi Pro League.

“I didn’t expect it,” Steven Gerrard said after finally breaking his silence over the departure of Al-Ettifaq’s star player after the team suffered yet another loss. Gerrard’s statement came after the team suffered yet another loss.

Since he took over as manager of the Saudi Pro League team in July 2023, the Liverpool icon, who is now 44 years old, has been going through a challenging period. Al-Ettifaq have not been able to successfully develop any momentum under the leadership of the Englishman, as evidenced by the fact that they only managed to finish in sixth place in his first season.

Following a total of 14 matches, Gerrard’s team has only managed to secure four victories, which has resulted in them in the eleventh position. What this indicates is that they are now three points above the relegation zone.

The difficulties of keeping Al-Ettifaq afloat has been worsened by the loss of midfielder Seko Fofana at the beginning of this year. Fofana had been on loan from Al-Nassr, but he returned to France to accept a permanent contract with Rennes.A club statement stated the following: “Ettifaq announces the termination of the loan agreement of the player Seko Fofana, who was loaned from Al-Nassr FC during the most recent summer transfer window. This decision was made by mutual consent between both parties.”

The organisation would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the player for his time spent with the squad and wish him the very best of success in his further endeavours. Additionally, Ettifaq would like to express its gratitude and appreciation to the board of directors and management of Al-Nassr FC for their consistent and professional collaboration.

“The team’s performance was poor and it’s hard to defend anyone, especially when we concede three goals like that,” Gerrard said after Al-Ettifaq’s tight 3-2 home loss to Al-Kholood on Friday night. “The team’s performance was poor and it’s hard to defend anyone after that.” [Abdulelah] the Even though Almalki was unable to take part in the match, he nevertheless exerted his whole effort. During the last forty-eight hours leading up to the game, Wijnaldum felt ill.

In a similar vein, Medran had a slight injury before to the game, and I am hopeful that he will be able to play in the subsequent encounter. I selected the most talented guys in the attacking position, but the outcome did not go our way. In terms of the depth of our squad, we were stronger before the break, and I do not have a response to your question about whether or not we should acquire a new defensive midfielder.

After that, he made a brief comment about Fofana’s departure, stating, “I didn’t expect Fofana to leave, it happened suddenly.”

As a result of Fofana’s departure to Rennes on a four-year contract of £17 million (€20 million), he became the most expensive player to be sold in the history of the Saudi professional League. Last Friday, the Ivory Coast international made his debut in the match against Nice, which ended in a 3-2 loss on the road.

As a result of his prolonged lacklustre performance, Gerrard has been subjected to calls for his resignation from his position as manager. Al-Ettifaq’s board of directors acknowledged “unsatisfactory results” in a statement that confirmed the resignation of two members of his staff, namely assistant coach Dean Holden and sports director Mark Allen. Both of these individuals were terminated from their positions during the current season.