Mark Ogden has shared that former Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was ‘waiting’ to get the green light to become Leeds United manager before taking the gig with Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia.
At first, when the rumours broke that Steven Gerrard could be joining the cash-rich Saudi league, he made it clear, on public television, that it won’t be happening.
But once Leeds United brought in Daniel Farke, or were on the verge of bringing him in, the Liverpool legend took the decision to fly to the Middle East and take a job there.
So, why the change of mind? Well, Ogden shared that he was hoping he would get ‘more of a shout’, not just with the Leeds job, but with the Leicester City gig also, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
Both teams, after their relegations to the Championship, were looking for new faces this summer, and whilst they took their time to bring new people in, Gerrard seemingly got blanked given that there were rumours that he was keen.
For Leeds fans, they probably feel that they have got lucky here given that Farke is proven in the Championship with two promotions, whilst Gerrard made a complete mess of the job at Aston Villa before being sacked, as Ogden added that he was ‘surprised’ the former midfielder ended up in Saudi, a league that’s seemingly causing controversy.
“I think he was hoping that he would get more of a shout with the Leicester and Leeds jobs,” said Odgen. “Two big clubs relegated to the Championship. They have a good chance to bounce back.
“Leeds went with Daniel Farke and he thought ‘well, this is an opportunity to have a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia’. I think it’s a mistake, to be honest. The managerial turnover in Saudi Arabia is really, really big.
“I think they finished seventh last season. Miles and miles away from the top. They’re not a good team judging by the way they finish. There will be a lot of pressure. How can it improve his CV to go to Saudi Arabia? If he wins the Saudi Arabian league nobody will care, if he does badly, then it will just be another sacking on his CV which he doesn’t need. I am surprised.”
Leeds better off without Gerrard
Whether Farke can get Leeds back on track again remains to be seen because there are a lot of problems he needs to fix.
From getting players that don’t want to be at the club out of the door to bringing the fans together again after a morale-sapped season in the Premier League.
But, one thing is for sure, he will do a better job than what Gerrard would have managed because as the 43-year-old displayed at Aston Villa, your name can get you jobs that you shouldn’t have got in the first place.
The post 'I'm surprised': Journalist says 43-year-old wanted Leeds job before controversial move appeared first on HITC.
from HITC https://ift.tt/7j14bkQ
No comments: