Saudi Arabia club offers to recruit Greenwood
To convince Greenwood, Al-Ettifaq promised a salary of $12.8 million a year. This figure is more than double the remuneration the 21-year-old receives at Man Utd.
The Saudi club also promised to let Greenwood play regularly. After being entangled in allegations of assaulting his girlfriend, the bright young talent of English football has been suspended by Man Utd since January 2022. According to the Sun, coach Al-Ettifaq - former England midfielder Gerrard - adores Greenwood and wants to give him a chance to save his career.
If joining Al-Ettifaq, Greenwood will meet many other familiar faces, including fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson, who left Liverpool for $ 15.3 million to come to Saudi Arabia to play since July. Al-Ettifaq's highest-paid player, at $894,000 per week.
Al-Ettifaq is likely to have to compete with a number of other clubs to get Greenwood's signature. Turkish club Galatasaray is also said to be closely following the mature player from the Man Utd training camp. The Daily Mail also reported that Jose Mourinho would seek to bring Greenwood to AS Roma if possible.
On the afternoon of August 21, Man Utd announced the farewell to Greenwood after making the conclusion of the internal investigation. Despite declaring the 21-year-old striker innocent, the Old Trafford team confirmed that it was the most reasonable option for him to leave at this time.
In January 2022, Greenwood was accused by his girlfriend of assaulting and forcing her to have sex. The Man Utd striker was detained by Great Manchester Police (GMP) for investigation. In February this year, the Royal Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was no longer possible to convict Greenwood after key witnesses withdrew from the investigation. However, this young striker still faced a wave of fierce opposition from the public. This is the main reason why Man Utd had to let him go.
Al-Ettifaq appointed Gerrard as head coach unexpectedly in July. Before that, the English football legend showed no interest in the offer from the Saudi Pro League. However, after being promised money by Al-Ettifaq to bring in the players he wanted, Gerrard changed his mind. Al-Ettifaq is one of three teams to win the first two rounds of Saudi Pro League 2023-2024 with defending champions Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.
