Wayne Rooney turned down offer to manage a club in Saudi Arabia before agreeing to take the Birmingham City hot seat, as ex-England striker eyes promotion to the Premier League
- Wayne Rooney turned down Saudi Arabia jobs before joining Birmingham City
- The ex-England striker recently signed a deal to manage the Championship club
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New Birmingham City manager Wayne Rooney said he turned down an offer to manage in Saudi Arabia before taking on his new challenge in the Championship.
The former Everton, Man United and England striker was looking for a new managerial role after the end of his time at DC United after two years.
On Thursday, the 37-year-old was unveiled as Birmingham manager, for his second stint in English football after being boss at Derby County between 2020 and 2021.
As reported by Reuters, Birmingham chief executive Garry Cook tried to lure Rooney to Saudi Arabia while he was the executive president of the Saudi Pro League. However, Cook left that role in July to join the Blues.
Rooney rejected the chance to go to Saudi Arabia in favour of returning to England, signing a three-and-a-half year deal at St. Andrews.
![New Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney turned down an offer to manage in Saudi Arabia](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/15/16/76481295-12632971-Wayne_Rooney_was_appointed_as_the_new_Birmingham_City_manager_on-a-34_1697382492699.jpg)
New Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney turned down an offer to manage in Saudi Arabia
![Rooney signed a three-and-a-half year deal to be in charge at the Championship club](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/15/16/76507141-12632971-Wayne_Rooney_is_the_new_Birmingham_City_manager_but_have_Blues_m-a-35_1697382512593.jpg)
Rooney signed a three-and-a-half year deal to be in charge at the Championship club
In his press conference on Thursday, Rooney said it was never an option for him. 'I felt for my development that my pathway was a different way,' the ex-striker said. 'That is no disrespect to any manager that has gone out there, by the way.'
Former England teammate Steven Gerrard is in charge at Al-Ettifaq, while Nuno Espirito Santo and Slaven Bilic are among other high-profile managers currently in charge in the Saudi Pro League.
In his first press conference as Birmingham manager, Rooney confirmed that his ambition was instant promotion to the top flight of English football.
Rooney said: 'We will push for promotion this year of course. With the players we brought in during the summer, it's an ambition of ours. It's something we will certainly push for. The goal is to get the club back to the Premier League.'
The team currently sit in sixth place in the Championship, which had led to some questioning the Blues about why they chose to jettison John Eustace as manager in favour of Rooney.
Birmingham City are partly owned by NFL legend Tom Brady, although Rooney may be in for some awkward conversations with the seven-time Super Bowl winner, after making several social media posts in the past hitting out at American Football.
Rooney will be joined in the dugout by former teammates Ashley Cole and John O’Shea. Their first challenge is a trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday October 21.
![Rooney's former England teammate Steven Gerrard is in charge at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/15/16/76584095-12632971-image-a-36_1697382579449.jpg)
Rooney's former England teammate Steven Gerrard is in charge at Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia
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