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Former Stoke City assistant manager Dean Holden has been lined up for a coaching role in Saudi Arabia

Dean Holden is expected to move to Saudi Arabia to become assistant manager to Steven Gerrard at Al Ettifaq.

The former Stoke City assistant boss, now aged 44, has agreed terms on a move to the Saudi Pro League, reports transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. It is part of managerial set of dominoes that actually started with Alex Neil leaving Stoke and being replaced by Steven Schumacher, which left a vacancy at Plymouth Argyle that was filled by Ian Foster, who had been Gerrard’s number two since last July.

Holden had started his coaching career at Oldham and moved via Walsall to Bristol City, where he worked under Lee Johnson before a spell as manager in his own right. He joined Michael O’Neill at Stoke in April 2021 and was a popular figure at the club, stepping in as caretaker for one game – a 1-0 win at Blackburn Rovers – in August 2022 following O’Neill’s exit. He was among the candidates when Neil left Stoke in December 2023.

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He was appointed Charlton Athletic manager in December 2022 but left early this season after picking up one win in the first six games.

Al Ettifaq are currently eighth in the Saudi Pro League with star players including Georginio Wijnaldum, Moussa Dembele and Demarai Gray.

Holden recently discussed his time at Stoke in a long read interview for Coaches Voice, saying: “It was brilliant. I got a lot of autonomy, in terms of team meetings that I took, media responsibilities and so much coaching, because Michael wasn’t necessarily on the grass all the time.