Steven Gerrard returns to Rangers genesis with ruthless Ettifaq code red to escape his escalating Saudi 'trouble'

Unbowed Steven Gerrard has demanded Ettifaq spend big as the former Rangers boss meets his escalating woes in Saudi Arabia head on.

The football icon has demanded a transfer jolt in the face of a worrying run of results which sees his team without a win in October as they trail Pro League leaders Al-Ahly by a whopping 26 points after only 18 games. Former Celtic striker Moussa Dembele's red-hot start has waned amid injuries and now Gerrard has put it on his higher-ups to land top talent.

But Gerrard is emboldened by a belief further investment can change the tide, he said: "We have already had important meetings at Al Ettifaq in terms of mid-season updates and where every individual is, and where the group is at. The message, in summary, that we have sent is that we need to be aggressive, we need to be ruthless, and we need to make a lot of changes to make this team more competitive.

"We are really happy with a lot of individuals, both foreign and some local players. But if you look at us, once Moussa [Dembélé] came out of the team [through injury], the weaknesses in our team have been highlighted, as have the options we had. We need to show in this window, and also the summer window, that we mean business and we want to be competitive at the top of the league, and not where we are at the moment. It’s a collective thing."

It comes after the Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman stated he believed the former Aston Villa boss was in a "little bit of trouble" due to his side's form in the Middle East. Speaking on It's All Kicking Off Podcast, he said: "Steven has spoken over the last couple of days asking for more money to spend on players. That looks as though it's an experiment that's starting to go wrong for Steven. And if that does