The brutal Steven Gerrard paradox laid bare as Jose Mourinho targeted to rock former rival's world

Former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has been warned of the uphill battle he faces to get bums on seats to watch his middling Al-Ettifaq side.

But interest could be piqued as noisy neighbours Al Qadsiah are itching to make Jose Mourinho their next manager – weeks after winning promotion to the Saudi Pro League. Middle East football expert Ben Jacobs addressed the lopsided nature of support for clubs in Saudi with the 'big four' of Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad able to fill out stadiums while others are met with crickets.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Jacobs said: "Even if you're in Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq area of Dammam, you are a Ronaldo fan waiting for Al-Nassr or an Al-Hilal fan waiting for Neymar to get fit. So you have this complete paradox where Al-Nassr or Al-Hilal go into the national team stadiums, they can sell out up to 60,000 for a match but Al-Ettifaq will only have a few thousand. So, it's about evening out the attendances and growing the culture beyond the big four clubs."

But a rivalry of substance could be coming Gerrard's way as ambitious Al-Qadsiah craves a marquee manager and the Special One is on their hitlist. The former Rangers boss has a history with Mourinho with the Portuguese gaffer trying to sign him for Chelsea - and then the Special One in charge of the Blues on the day of Liverpool legend Gerrard's infamous slip at Anfield that cost them the Premier League title. Gerrard's Ettifaq plays 17 miles away and a local rivalry between Premier League icons – one on the dugout and the other on the pitch – is the type of storylines Saudi are itching to create.

Jacobs – explaining the hunt for parity – added: "The other club to look out for is Al-Qadsiah, who are right next to Steven Gerrard's