Alex Gerrard reportedly refused to live with the Liverpool icon in Saudi Arabia after he signed a lucrative deal to manage Al-Ettifaq
Steven and Alex Gerrard posed for a photo taken by their eldest daughter, Lilly
Steven and Alex Gerrard sometimes lived separately while he managed Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia(Image: Instagram/@lilly.gerrard)
View 3 Images
Steven Gerrard’s wife, Alex, insisted on living in Bahrain while the Liverpool legend worked in Saudi Arabia. The football manager made the shock decision to take charge of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in July 2023.
The project saw him offered a lucrative £15.2million-a-year salary, making him the fourth highest paid manager in the world behind only Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone at the time. That lasted until January 2025, when Gerrard reportedly waived a further £10m from the second half of his contract by agreeing to leave the club by mutual consent.
Yet, before that, the 45-year-old reached a compromise with his wife to let her and their four children live in neighbouring gulf country Bahrain, while Gerrard regularly commuted between there and Saudi.
It is reported that Saudi’s conservatism proved difficult for some footballers’ wives and girlfriends due to the cultural restrictions over alcohol and dress codes. Alex, who he married in 2007, is said to have had little interest in spending much time in Saudi and the pair were able to find a sweet spot for their personal and professional lives.
The family were based in Bahrain’s capital city, Manama, which is only an hours’ drive from the eastern Saudi Arabian city of Dammam, where Gerrard coached Al-Ettifaq. That allowed the Reds hero to frequently commute to his job along a 15-mile causeway connecting Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, despite being given a luxury villa in Damman by his club.
In September 2024, Gerrard put an end to rumours he was permanently based in Bahrain and phoned into a local radio station to clarify his time was split, while Alex and his family were based over the border. Gerrard's wife and family lived in a £10,000-per-month six-bedroom villa in the Hamala area of the city.
Steven Gerrard as Al-Ettifaq manager
Gerrard joined Al-Ettifaq in July 2023(Image: Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
View 3 Images
It came with its own swimming pool, tennis courts, games room and was within the vicinity of Bahrain's elite, including members of their royal family, inside a gated compound.
Since leaving Saudi, Gerrard has regularly worked as a pundit for TNT Sports in recent months. He made a comment late last year that would excite any Liverpool fan, telling Ally McCoist in an episode of TNT Sports’ Ally’s Social Club that he would be open to returning to Liverpool to work in any capacity.
His words suggested he would be happy to work under or alongside Arne Slot, and potentially even succeed him one day. The 2005 Champions League winner said in December: "I’ll be brutally, brutally honest with you: I’d help Liverpool in any department at any minute of every day. I’d help them with anything. I don’t want the Liverpool manager to lose his job, I want Arne Slot to fix this and turn it around and make Liverpool great.
"I was bouncing all over the city four, five months ago when Liverpool won the league. I’m a Liverpool fan, I want the best for Liverpool. But if Liverpool need me, in any department at any time, I’ll be there for them."
Steven Gerrard and Alex Gerrard praised a meal they had at Home Bar and Grill last week
Alex Gerrard preferred to live in Bahrain(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
View 3 Images
The last time Gerrard officially worked for Liverpool was as U18s coach for a season-and-a-half between January 2017 and the summer of 2018. He has since appeared for the club in Legends charity matches while also representing the Reds in a commercial role, including as part of last year’s Christmas advertising.
However, Gerrard also admits he currently isn’t set on returning to management, only being interested if the "right project comes up". The former Reds skipper threw himself into coaching at Liverpool as soon as he retired in November 2016, with senior positions at Rangers, Aston Villa and Saudi following. He appears happy to bide his time and keep his options open until the next opportunity arises, given that his family are settled.
Gerrard added: "If that right opportunity, or that feeling that I got when I first bounced into Rangers, doesn’t come then I’m fine. I’m not searching for a job, I’m not down the Job Centre for what’s available. I’m not hoping ‘that one might come available’.
"My life’s great, my family life’s great, I’m enjoying doing [media work], I’ve got a lot going on. My life’s good, I’m fine. If the right football project comes up, the hunger’s back, it’s there."