Simon Jordan claims Steven Gerrard's 'reputation is in the toilet' amid talks with Saudi side Al Ettifaq

The former Aston Villa and Rangers head coach is set to accept a job with Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq, talkSPORT understands.

The Liverpool legend is yet another huge name to jet over to the Middle East, following Cristiano Ronaldo who joined Al Nassr in December, while Karim Benzema and N'Golo Kante have signed for league winners Al Ittihad.

However, those superstars are coming to the end of their careers, unlike Gerrard, who appeared to be on the up after guiding Rangers to their first Scottish Premiership title in a decade.

He left the Glasgow side to join Villa in 2021, but was sacked in October last year after a dire run of form.

And former Crystal Palace owner Jordan believes that this is the wrong move if he's looking to rebuild his reputation.

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"These are not football decisions, they are financial decisions," the talkSPORT host said. "No one can sit here and suggest that if they were in a position where they were offered the money that they wouldn't think about it themselves.

"If you want to make a football decision that is going to take you on a journey that will make you a very successful manager and you back yourself, then you don't need to go to Dubai or the Middle East or wherever he's going.

"In this instance, this is not a football decision, he's not going to advance as a coach, he's not going to enhance his reputation amongst those eyes that might look at him and go, 'oh look at what you did in the Saudi league.'

"They're not going to suggest that a Premier League job is going to come available as a result of that, so it's a financial decision. So let's characterise it for what it is."

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He continued: "If we genuinely believe that the nature of going to Saudi is going to enhance a reputation that gives cause for people in the UK to go, 'I tell you what, he's done really well over in that Saudi league, I must entrust him with a job in the Premier League.'

"I don't think it will. It's not a football decision, it's a financial decision, so it's out of sight, out of mind.

"The bottom line is, once you're out of the loop in football, you're out of the loop.

"If Gerrard wants to do that, then he doesn't believe that he's got the chops to be a top class manager. He believes that the importance of the numeration he's going to get in Saudi is greater than perhaps looking around and taking an opportunity somewhere more meaningful in football terms, not financial terms.

"Gerrard needs to rebuild, his reputation is in the toilet as a top class manager. I think he made a horlicks of the Aston Villa job, I said he would and he did.

"And Unai Emery has made what Steven Gerrard did look comparatively simple by producing a group of players that are ostensibly the same, into quite a formidable side.

"With that in mind, Gerrard has done - in Premier League terms - there's not a job for Steven Gerrard right now.

"I think his reputation as a serious manager is not there and going to the Middle East will not enhance him."