Liverpool great Robbie Fowler heads to Saudi Arabia as coach of Al-Qadisiyah

KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler was hired as coach of Saudi Arabian team Al-Qadisiyah on Thursday.

In a summer that has seen a host of Europe's top players head to the lucrative Saudi Pro League, Fowler is taking over a team in the oil-rich kingdom's second tier.

The club confirmed the former England striker's appointment on its Twitter channel.

“Robbie Fowler.. one of the most famous players in Liverpool and the English Premier League.. coach for Qadisiyah,” it tweeted.

Fowler is one of Liverpool's most celebrated players, having scored 183 goals in two spells with the Premier League club. Leeds and Manchester City were among the other teams he played for.

He has not hit such heights in his managerial career, which has seen him coach Thai team Muangthong United, Australia's Brisbane Roar and East Bengal in the Indian Super League.

Al-Qadisiyah did not state the length of his contract.

Saudi Arabia has embarked on an ambitious recruitment drive since the turn of the year, following Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Al-Nassr in December.

This summer has seen more star players head to the country, with Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Reuben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy making the move.

Saudi's sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund has taken a majority ownership stake in four of the country’s top clubs, including Al-Ittihad and Al-Nassr, as part of a nationalization project encouraging public sector organizations to invest in sports.

Oil giant Saudi Aramco will take over Al-Qadisiyah.

Aramco is a publicly listed company, but the Saudi government still owns the vast majority of its shares.

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