Steven Gerrard has been linked with coaching jobs in recent weeks; his former teammate tipped him on the criterias to consider before accepti another role.
Steven Gerrard’s former teammate Vladimir Smicer said he wanted to see the former England international take one of the budding jobs in the Championship, believing that they provide the most viable path to one day coaching Liverpool.
Gerrard, 42, is currently unemployed and has been linked to Wrexham and Birmingham. However, so is the Rangers’ job—a club Gerrard previously excelled at—with current manager Russel Martin currently under pressure.
Smicer, who was teammates with Gerrard for six years at Liverpool, believes that his career is better served coaching in England, even if it is in the Championship.
What Smicer said
In a recent interview, the former Czech Republic attacking midfielder weighed in on his ex-mate’s career. He has the following to say:
“It’s important that if you sign for a club, you need to know where you want to go and what the club’s ambitions are,” he said, per Goal.
Gerrard, former manager of Al-Ettifaq || Imago
“It’s not good to sign for a club that is financially struggling and has no future. Of course, Steven Gerrard has been a fantastic player, one of the best players I played with.
“But as a manager, as I said, he’s still very young. His name is big in England, Europe, and world football. Stevie is fantastic. I know his mentality; he’s a winner.
“He definitely wants to go to a club where he feels he has a chance to win games, be a strong team, and build something. So if they show him plans for the future and he feels it’s achievable, it’s interesting for him.”
Steven Gerrard & Vladimir Smicer Ac Milan V Liverpool, Champions League Final 2005 Champions League Final Istanbul,Turkey 25 May 2005 Copyright: Allstar RichardxSelle
Smicer insists that the road to Liverpool has yet to close for Gerrard despite the bumps in his oath. He argued that he would be successful coaching his boyhood club but must first pick a project with a future.
“But it must have a future; it must have ambition. People sometimes ask me if he can one day be the manager of Liverpool. And I’m saying yes, I think one day Stevie G can be a manager of Liverpool.”
“He would be a very good manager of Liverpool, in my opinion. But we’ll see in the future. He needs to have some success with a team. Could it be Birmingham or Wrexham, maybe? But if he has success, why not Liverpool one day?”
Gerrard took to coaching after retiring from playing professionally. His career in professional coaching began excitingly, leading Rangers to a record-setting league title in the 2020/21 season.
He was snapped up by Aston Villa, a coveted Premier League opportunity. However, his time with the Birmingham-based club was uninspiring and he was fired just under a year.
He took his time before accepting the next gig. He was hired by Al-Ettifaq in the summer of 2023 and despite having a contract until 2027—renewal factored in—he left my mutual consent early this year. He has been out of work since January.