England midfielder Jordan Henderson has stated that he felt unwanted at Liverpool, citing it as one of the key reasons why he left for Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq.
Concluding a 12-year chapter at Anfield, Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq for a $15.03 million fee toward the end of July. His decision came after he participated in the Reds’ pre-season tour and admittedly understood that he would not play regularly under Jurgen Klopp this season.
Henderson felt unwanted at Liverpool
Henderson’s sudden switch to Al-Ettifaq caught many fans off-guard. Now, speaking with The Athletic, he has revealed what motivated him to leave Anfield. He said that he did not feel wanted at the time and probably would have stayed put had either Jurgen Klopp or the upper management tried to convince him to stay.
“At that moment, I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted,” said Henderson.
“If one of those people said to me, ‘Now we want you to stay’, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation… Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.”
Henderson claims Saudi move was not solely influenced by money
The England international then claimed that he was genuinely excited to work with Reds legend Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq, insisting that the move was not solely money-driven.
He added:
“I wanted something that would excite me… It needed to be something that I felt as though I could add value in and do and try something new – a new challenge and for different reasons!
“People can believe me or not, but in my life and my career, money has never been a motivation. Ever.”
Henderson, who reportedly earns $751,600 per week in Saudi, concluded by adding:
“Don’t get me wrong, when you move, the business deal has to be tight. You have to have financials, you have to feel wanted, you have to feel valued. And money is a part of that.
“But that wasn’t the sole reason.”
Prior to switching to the desert, Henderson featured in 492 games for the Reds, scoring 33 times and providing 61 assists. He won the 2020 Premier League and the 2019 UEFA Champions League with the Merseysiders, amongst other honors.
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