Latest Liverpool alumnus to join Saudi Pro League will not have to worry about a lack of funds at Al-Qadsiah
T
he 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.”
