Jordan Henderson surprised many when he swapped the captaincy of Liverpool to play for Al-Ettifaq and Steven Gerrard has been discussing how he managed to complete a deal with the Reds.
Speaking about signing our former captain, his new manager said: “I think it’s a combination of things, of course, having a relationship with Jordan, I think there’s a lot of trust and mutual respect both ways but I must say, everyone who’s involved with the board, obviously big respect to the minister, to the SPL for the support to help bring Jordan Henderson here.
“He’s looking forward to the challenge, he’s still got many good years in his legs, we were looking for someone who can be a coach on the football pitch, who can lead, someone with a voice, someone who creates real high-class elite standards and we want the young players to learn that off Jordan”.
READ MORE: (Video) Mane and Henderson emotionally reunite in Saudi Arabia
It seems then there was some help from the wider circle of the Saudi Pro League in order to get this deal over the line and now our two former skippers are plying their trade in a league many hadn’t heard of last year.
It’s a strange scenario for us to be in and time will tell if the two are trailblazers, sell-outs or both – as we watch on from afar as to how the new league thrives in the coming years.
You can watch Gerrard’s comments on Henderson (from 2:12) via @sadaalmalaeb on Twitter:
الأسطورة جيرارد يتحدث حصريا للصدى: أشارك رجال الاتفاق هدف واحد وهو بناء فريق مميز.. وأقدم الشكر للإدارة ولكل من ساهم في حسم صفقة هندرسون.. وأقدر الفرصة التي حصلت عليها في السعودية#صدى_الملاعب#Shahid
يعرض الآن مجاناً على شاهدhttps://t.co/F5QBC1S5Nj pic.twitter.com/Es5xIslgxd— صدى الملاعب (@sadaalmalaeb) August 7, 2023
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones