FORMER Rangers boss Michael Beale is on his way to Saudi Arabia to join Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, according to reports.
The 44-year-old has been out of management since being sacked by Sunderland in February this year, just a few months after he was dismissed by the Ibrox club.
Now he’s set for a reunion with Steven Gerrard[/caption]
Beale worked under Gerrard during the Liverpool legend’s own stint in charge of Gers and followed him to Aston Villa in November 2021.
After stepping out on his own to become manager of Queens Park Rangers in June 2022, he was appointed Rangers boss in November that year, replacing Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Gerrard, 44, has been facing growing pressure at Al-Ettifaq but is believed to have the full backing of club chiefs.
Al-Ettifaq binned Gerrard ally Mark Allen a fortnight ago as part of a raft of changes behind the scenes, which included No2 Dean Holden also losing his job.
According to GiveMeSport, Gerrard has been allowed to approach Beale with a view to bringing him to the Middle East to help stable the ship and help the club improve on their sixth-placed finish last season. Talksport are reporting that the deal has been done and that Beale is HIRED.
Beale is understood to be seeking a fresh challenge after his latest managerial stint when awry at the Stadium of Light.
He has been in the headlines recently after appearing on a podcast and calling out “snakes” who distracted him from doing his job as a manager.
Beale stopped short of naming names or specific clubs, but said: “Around a couple of the moves I’ve had as a manager, I saw loads of snakes and people come out of the woodwork. And I didn’t like it.
“It made me uncomfortable, and perhaps I would’ve made better decisions if those people weren’t around, but that’s for another time.
“Ultimately, I’m very, very fortunate that I’ve been a manager at QPR, Glasgow Rangers, 52,000, Sunderland, 44,000 in the Championship.
“I’ve worked in the Premier League, I’ve worked in Serie A and I’ve worked in over 60 games in Europe across the Europa League and Champions League.
“So I have 257 games in the system, 77 games as a manager and at 44 years of age I feel like I’m at the start of my career. In that sense, I still feel like I’m a young coach.”
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