Ex-Aston Villa chief set for Steven Gerrard reunion in Saudi Arabia

Former Aston Villa chief Christian Purslow is on the move. He is set to reunite with Steven Gerrard, who has previously managed the Villans, at Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. As things stand, he has yet to make the move official, but it is thought to be in motion, according to Football Insider.

Purslow left Villa in the summer of 2023. He had occupied the position of CEO and oversaw Gerrard's arrival at the club, as well as his successor, Unai Emery - who remains as Villa manager to this day.

Despite this, their connection was not at Villa - instead, it came at Liverpool, when the two figures were at the club over 15 years ago - Gerrard was an active player then while Purslow was their managing director. Previously, he also spent three years as Head of Global Commercial Activities at Chelsea between the years of 2014 and 2017.

Gerrard took over at Villa in November of 2021, lasting in the role until October 2022, when he was sacked after 11 months in charge. Overall, in the Premier League, Gerrard picked up 13 wins, eight draws and 19 losses during his time in the Villa hotseat. Despite a bright start, his Villa stint quickly deteriorated - hence his sacking.

How is Steven Gerrard performing at Al-Ettifaq so far?

Gerrard took the reins at Al-Ettifaq back in July - currently, they are sitting in 7th position in the Saudi Pro League with six wins, four draws and three losses from 13 games. It hasn't been the most inspiring of starts, but competition in Saudi Arabia's top league is fierce after the influx of talent in the summer.

Al-Ettifaq certainly benefitted from this mass exodus, bringing on board ex-Premier League talents such as Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembele, Demarai Gray and Jordan Henderson - one of whom, Henderson, played alongside Gerrard while they were at Liverpool together.