Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq aim to establish themselves as SPL title contenders

Only four teams have won the last 10 editions of the Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal lead with five titles, while Al Nassr have three titles and each of the two Jeddah rivals, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli, have lifted the trophy once in the past decade.

So naturally, when Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund acquired majority stakes in the 'big four' over the summer, bankrolling an unprecedented level of spending on some of the world's top talents, it was expected that that same quartet would take their dominance of the league to new heights.

But a glance at the standings seven matches into the 2023/24 season reveals a different picture; neither Al Nassr nor Al Ahli are in the top four at this early stage of the season. Instead, it is Al Taawoun and Al Ettifaq who occupy the two spots behind table toppers Al Ittihad and second-placed Al Hilal.

The past decade looked very different for the two dark horses; Buraidah-based Al Taawoun had already established a presence in the top half of the table, finishing in the top five four times, with their best result a third-place finish in 2018/19. Meanwhile, Al Ettifaq were plying their trade in the second tier as recently as 2015/16, having been relegated three years earlier.

And despite receiving no big money backing from the PIF, the side from Dammam invested intelligently, making waves across the transfer market through the appointment of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as head coach.

Gerrard went about his business recruiting names he is familiar with, either from his years at Anfield or from his managerial stint in Scotland with Rangers. Former Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum were reunited at the Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium, and so were former Celtic duo Moussa Dembele