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The path from Liverpool to the east of Saudi Arabia is becoming increasingly well-worn, but Brendan Rodgers has a bigger job on his hands than Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson. On Tuesday, the 52-year-old was confirmed as the new head coach of Al-Qadsiah, with the target in his new job simple: to turn the Big Four in Saudi Arabia into the Big Five.
If he had concerns about the lack of investment at Celtic, the club he left in October, then that shouldn’t be an issue at the Khobar-based Al-Qadsiah. In July, they splashed out a reported €65m (£57.15m) on the Italy striker Mateo Retegui. Few clubs around the world have an owner with pockets – or oil wells – as deep as those that belong to Aramco. The state-owned oil enterprise usually makes the top 10 lists of the world’s biggest companies.
It all means the Eastern Knights, who have never been champions, are one of the few clubs in the world that can compete with the giants from Riyadh and Jeddah. In the summer of 2023, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) took over Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli, bringing big stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar, along with international headlines. Al-Qadsiah want some of that as the club’s chief executive, James Bisgrove, formerly of Rangers, said in a statement welcoming the new head coach: “This is a landmark moment for the club. The calibre of his experience and track record of winning reflects our ambition and long-term vision to establish Al-Qadsiah as one of Asia’s leading clubs.”
Their Spanish manager of two years, Míchel, was no longer seen as the man to deliver the big prizes. The timing is a little strange, however. Due to the Fifa Arab Cup, the team have not played a league game since 21 November and that came two weeks after the previous match. The season restarts next week and Rodgers could have had a month to prepare.
There is talent. The goals have been coming from the Mexican striker Julián Quiñones, still in good form, with six, and Retegui with five. The former Real Madrid defender Nacho and the Belgian goalkeeper Koen Casteels have contributed to a solid start but, even so, the team are already in danger of dropping out of the title race. Al-Qadsiah may be fifth but are 10 points behind the leaders, Al-Nassr, and out of the King’s Cup.
Whatever happens, it is an interesting time to join. Al-Qadsiah averaged attendances of about 9,000 last season in their multipurpose ground but the state-of-the-art 46,000-capacity Aramco Stadium is due to be finished next year, giving the club a new home. They will then have the owners, the finance, the team and the stadium. And, now, they hope, the coach.
Prominent British figures have struggled to make an impact in the new Saudi Pro League era. Rodgers may find it useful to chat to his fellow Liverpool alumni.
Fowler’s advice may be that big money means big expectations and pressure, and that life as a coach in Saudi Arabia (and this has long been the case) can be short-lived. The former striker was appointed by Al-Qadsiah in 2023 and charged with promotion. He lasted just eight games, despite not losing one. “I was very, very disappointed because my record was unbelievable,” he said. “But it was excellent there … It sounds a little bit far-fetched, but I believe that we would have gone the full season undefeated because I was confident in what we could do.”
Gerrard’s advice may be that big signings don’t automatically mean success. At Al-Ettifaq, just up the coast in Damman, the former Rangers manager couldn’t make the difference. He was fired in January, 18 months into his job and with the Greens in the bottom half of the league. Al-Qadsiah performed better. Quiñones and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored 37 league goals between them as their team finished fourth. It was not quite cracking the Big Four, however, as while Al-Ahli finished fifth, the Jeddah club won the Asian Football Confederation’s Champions League.
Henderson’s time was shorter and more difficult. Long seen as an LGBTQ+ ally and a vocal supporter of the Premier League’s rainbow laces campaign and inclusion within the game, he was criticised about his decision to play in Saudi Arabia, a country where same-sex marriage is illegal. Along with Gerrard, he was asked to speak out about Riyadh’s human rights record.
It remains to be seen what questions Rodgers has to deal with but on the pitch, all know what is in store: win trophies or share the same fate as his predecessors.
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