Liverpool fans expected a busy summer of midfield transfers but few expected that club captain Jordan Henderson could be leaving the club and we may soon see a shock move be completed.
As reported by David Ornstein for The Athletic: ‘Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson is leaning towards accepting an offer from Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq.
‘Henderson is expected to make a decision imminently, with the England international considering the life-changing offer which would quadruple his Liverpool salary.
‘Steven Gerrard, Henderson’s former Liverpool team-mate, was appointed last week as Al Ettifaq’s new manager and has played a key role in driving the pursuit of the 33-year-old.
‘Henderson still has two years left on the four-year contract he signed in the summer of 2021, meaning a fee would need to be agreed between Liverpool and Al Ettifaq if the midfielder agrees to join the Saudi side.
‘Liverpool have not had any contact from clubs regarding a move for Henderson. If he gives his approval to the move, the clubs will immediately hold talks over a deal’.
It seems that Al Ettifaq are quite the convincers, with both Steven Gerrard and the man who took his captain’s armband seemingly ruling out a move to the middle east – before then changing their minds.
It’s not hard to see how minds have been changed though, with our No.14 set to quadruple his wages in return for moving to Saudi Arabia.
At 33-years-old, having captained us to every major honour and watching Jurgen Klopp refresh his midfield this summer – you can see why our skipper may have had his head turned.
There would also be a fee for us, on top of these ludicrous wages, and we should be able to push for a decent fee in return for the services of the Sunderland-born midfielder.
The loss of his leadership within the dressing room will be huge and his abilities on the pitch are the reason that he is so often entrusted with game time for the Reds, whatever happens we should all appreciate the role played by a real club icon.
Some will be disappointed, some won’t be able to blame him but whichever way you think, this will certainly not be a departure the club had planned for this summer.