Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ryan McGinlay

Brendan Rodgers definitively reveals why he swapped the UK for Saudi Arabia

(Image: Shutterstock)

Brendan Rodgers believes more managers and players should consider moving to the Saudi Pro League.

The former Celtic, Liverpool and Leicester City manager, now at Al Qadsiah, made the switch to Saudi Arabia to step outside his comfort zone.

He has been impressed by the league's quality and thinks perceptions of it are changing. Rodgers said, "The idea and attraction to come out here was to get a little bit uncomfortable.

"Having managed over 800 games in the UK, I'm very comfortable there naturally, so we wanted to try something different."

He was drawn to Al Qadsiah by their clear vision and commitment to success. Rodgers added, "They really sold me on the vision of the club, strategically how they want to work and then all the processes they have in place."


Read more


The Saudi Pro League has attracted big names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Tijjani Reijnders, which Rodgers believes boosts the quality of the league. He said, "The league in itself, for anyone coming here, whether you're a coach or manager, you'll be nicely surprised.

"Clearly, there's a lot of international and European players here, which adds real quality to the league."

Rodgers is also impressed by the domestic talent in the league. "I've been really nicely surprised by the level of the Saudi Arabian players.

"They've got real, real good technique, their understanding of the game is getting better, and they have a real willingness to want to learn."

After guiding Al Qadsiah to fourth place last season, Rodgers is determined to challenge the top teams. He said, "We will be a challenger and we won't fear anyone.

"We have respect for those teams that historically have done very well in this league, but we're here to disrupt the top teams and hopefully we can do that."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.