Jordan Henderson’s Shock Move to Al-Ettifaq: What it Means for Liverpool

Tuesday, January 23 2024 – 10:08 WIB

Liverpool – Liverpool had expected former club captain Jordan Henderson to play a key role in their revival this season before his shock move to Saudi Arabia.

Henderson, 33, turned his back on Anfield after staying for 12 years to sign for Al-Ettifaq, managed by fellow former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson.

The England international has left Saudi life behind to return to Europe with Dutch giants Ajax, as he completed a move to Amsterdam last Thursday.

His career path could be very different, as Henderson has been set to become the leader of Jurgen Klopp’s new-look Reds team dubbed Liverpool 2.0.

According to the Daily Mail, senior Anfield figures are confident that the former Sunderland midfielder will remain a pillar of the club on and off the pitch, despite his lackluster form throughout last season.

Henderson was appointed captain by former manager Brendan Rodgers following Gerrard’s departure in the summer of 2015. Following Klopp’s arrival just over a year later, Henderson would be at the heart of Liverpool’s greatest period since the 1980s; when they became European champions for the sixth time in 2019 and followed up that campaign by ending their 30-year wait to lift the English title.

Liverpool midfielder, Jordan Henderson

Now Henderson has new ambitions in the Netherlands ahead of his potential debut for Heracles in the Eredivisie on Saturday. Despite Ajax having endured a dreadful first half of the season, the former Reds hero is excited by the prospect of a new challenge, having signed a two-and-a-half year contract.

“This is one of the biggest clubs in the world and the biggest club in the Netherlands. It’s a big challenge for me to play here. “I want to help the club and be as successful as possible,” said Henderson, quoted from the Mirror, Tuesday, January 23 2024.

“I want to put myself out here and do what I always do, help my teammates improve. Leadership comes in all forms, and in the past, I have worked with people who helped me with it. “I want to lead by example, both on and off the field,” he added.

The 33-year-old also took the opportunity to apologize to those who felt insulted by his move to Saudi, a country where homosexuality remains illegal. Henderson has been a visible ally to the LGBTQ+ community during his final years at Liverpool.

“I said six months ago that if I offended anyone or people felt I let them down then I apologized for that and I will apologize again,” he said.

“My beliefs have never changed, will never change and once again I can only apologize. I haven’t changed as a person. I want to continue to focus on football,” he added.