Four months after signing Jordan Henderson from Liverpool, Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard has again raided his former club.
The Saudi Pro League outfit confirmed on their official social media channels on Monday that they have appointed Jonathan Robinson as Opponent Performance Analyst.
The 31-year-old departs Anfield after nine years at the club, posting an emotional farewell on his personal X account as the news of his move to the Middle East was confirmed.
9 years of special people, memories that will last a lifetime and a club like no other… Thankyou to all the players, staff and everyone associated with the club for everything! YNWA ❤️ pic.twitter.com/WK32g9DRVN
— Jonathan Robinson (@jtrobbo92) November 13, 2023
With Al-Ettifaq seventh in the Saudi Pro League, winning just one of their last seven games and sometimes playing in front of meagre attendances, Henderson may now be realising that the grass isn’t necessarily greener elsewhere, no matter how many zeroes are tacked onto his pay packet.
Not even the influx of myriad high-profile names has helped the country’s top flight to greatly bolster its reputation abroad, but it’s evident from Robinson’s appointment that it can still attract players and backroom staff alike.
Gerrard has already persuaded both Liverpool’s former captain and a key off-field figure to swap Merseyside for Dammam, putting his Anfield connections to plenty of use, so we wouldn’t be surprised if he reached into his contacts book again throughout his spell in charge.
It’s a shame from the Reds’ perspective to lose a valued staff member in Robinson, but we wish him well with his move to Saudi Arabia and would love to see him returning to LFC in the future.
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You just can’t convince me to move to Saudi Arabia. It’s not for me no matter what.