Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson is reportedly not keen to reunite with former teammate Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.
The Daily Mail reported that the 33-year-old is reluctant to move to the Saudi Pro League at this point in his career, despite exploratory talks having been held between intermediaries acting on behalf of the Reds captain and the club who are trying to sign him.
His predecessor as skipper at Anfield had seemingly been keen on trying to persuade his compatriot to join him in the Middle East, but the feeling doesn’t appear to be reciprocal.
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Liverpool will be quite pleased that Henderson seems to have shut the door on any prospect of a move to Saudi Arabia this year.
Even with the captain now 33, and with the midfield strengthened by two new signings already this summer, Jurgen Klopp would hate to lose such an influential figure, particularly with another dressing room leader in James Milner moving to Brighton.
The Saudi Pro League may be luring some big names and offering lucrative financial rewards (ESPN), but the Reds skipper appears to recognise that, in football terms, it’s no match for the Premier League.
Gerrard reportedly has other players who’ve featured in the English top flight in his sights, including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Wilfried Zaha (Daily Mail), but his hopes of a reunion with ex-Liverpool pal Henderson now seem to be dashed.
There may be plenty of high-profile footballers swapping Europe for the Middle East, but thankfully the 33-year-old looks like he won’t be one of them.
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