LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena confirms Steven Gerrard will join them next season
Bruce Arena, the manager of LA Galaxy has confirmed that Steven Gerrard will move to USA and be part of the club in July. Liverpool captain Gerrard had announced his departure from his boyhood club after two decades on Friday and had also indicated that he would join the Los Angeles Galaxy.
In an exclusive chat with LA Times, Arena disclosed the news which will presumably be officially declared on Wednesday. Arena, who has won three Major League Soccer trophies with LA Galaxy in four years, is one of the most well-known coaches from the United States.
He told the newspaper, “Steven Gerrard arrives in July and by then we will certainly have a plan available. He's a player of quality. I'm not concerned about how he's going to fit in with our team. We have a club now with a proven history of success. All those things go hand in hand in making LA Galaxy a very attractive team for players such as Steven Gerrard."
Chris Klein, the president of the Los Angeles club, also called the England midfielder as the "the perfect fit" for their team. He said: "We just started thinking in the universe of players that are out there, we want to make a decision on what signifies a Galaxy-designated player. When we look at that, Steven Gerrard is the perfect fit with what he brings to us on the field and the character that he has off it."
Galaxy and I are a match made in heaven: Gerrard
The 34-year-old central midfielder, while declaring his move from Liverpool, the club with which he had been associated since the age of eight, had emphasized the fact that he won’t be joining any European team so that there is no possibility of facing his former club. Hence, he made the decision to move to United States and Galaxy was his top choice to do that.
Gerrard said, "I think it's a match made in heaven really. One of the reasons I chose LA Galaxy was because of the success they've had recently. I want to finish my career very strong. I want to add some medals and trophies to my collection."