Former Liverpool captain and England international Jordan Henderson has reached an agreement with Al Ettifaq to leave the Saudi Pro League club. Henderson, 33, joined Al Ettifaq, managed by Steven Gerrard in the summer, for a reported £12 million after ending a 12-year spell at Liverpool, where he captained the team to the Premier League and Champions League, among many trophies.
However, after just six months, Henderson will be joining Ajax on a permanent basis. Ajax has had a very difficult season; they are currently fifth in the league and 12 points behind 2nd place Feyenoord, who have the final Champions League spot. Henderson will be looking to turn their fortunes around as well as put himself in contention for England’s 2024 Euro squad.
In the summer, we saw many high-profile transfers to the Saudi League take place; however, the exit of Jordan Henderson could prove to be rather damaging. Will more players leave like Henderson after failing to settle in Saudi Arabia? Many European footballers have swapped Europe for the Gulf State, but few received the criticism that Henderson did as his move was seen as a contradiction to his support for the LGBTQ+ community.