Gerrard key to Reggae Boy’s Saudi plunge
Published:Sunday | September 10, 2023 | 12:08 AMOrane Buchanan - Staff Reporter
REGGAE BOY winger Demarai Gray credits Liverpool legend and Al-Ettifaq manager, Steven Gerrard, for helping him make the surprising decision to make the switch from the English Premier League’s Everton to Saudi Arabia’s Pro League.
Last week, the winger joined Al-Ettifaq on a four-year deal estimated at €10 million, before turning up to score a 64th-minute goal for the Reggae Boyz on Friday night that helped them open their Concacaf Nations League A tournament in positive fashion.
Speaking after the game at the National Stadium on Friday night, Gray said the timing of the move was right.
“I think it was time for me to move on, and speaking to the manager there, I felt like I wanted the new challenge, opportunity and feel of something completely different. There’s a hype around the Saudi league at the minute, it’s quite big and a lot of players are going out there,” said Gray.
The 27-year-old will join the likes of Jordan Henderson, Moussa Dembele and Georgino Wijnaldum for the two-time champions (1983, 1987) of the Saudi Pro League.
But Gerrard isn’t the only former Liverpool man to help prompt Gray to the league burgeoning with stars from the best leagues in the world.
“I think for me and where I’m at in my career right now, I believe it’s a good idea for me and I had the influence of other players, like [Jordan] Henderson. I had good advice, good guidance and it helped me make my decision,” said Gray.
The speedy winger, who played a total of 67 matches for Everton, scoring nine goals, also admitted that the way he left Everton wasn’t the best, but that he wished the club the best.
“Obviously, being from England, where my family lives, it was a hard decision but in football, sometimes you have to sacrifice. Yes, I’m disappointed with how I separated from Everton because they gave me some great moments as we had to fight off relegation for two years and we managed to stay up. I wished them the best, I made some good friends there, but that chapter is over now,” Gray revealed. Heimir Hallgrimsson, head coach of the Reggae Boyz, believes the Saudi Pro League the most competitive in all of Asia, meaning Gray will find himself challenged.
“I know the Saudi league quite well and it’s the most intense league in Asia. It’s really intense, aggressive so it’s big pressure on all the players going there. For us, playing time is important and we will have to see how the league will grow and adopt to all these new names,” said Hallgrimsson.
Hallgrimsson added that even with all the financial backing behind the Saudi league, it’s still a wait-and-see process as to what type of league it will truly be.
“All of the best players available are now playing in the Saudi league, it can be one of the better leagues in the world because the facilities, infrastructure and money is there. So, we have to wait and see what kind of league it will really be.”