Jordan Henderson has terminated his Al-Ettifaq contract just six months after leaving Liverpool for the lavish lifestyle of Saudi Arabia.
Why has Henderson terminated his Al-Ettifaq contract?
Henderson has terminated his Al-Ettifaq contract because he’s unhappy at the attendances of league games and he hasn’t adapted to the climate of the country. He misses the lifestyle he used to have and feels he will never be able to replicate that in Saudi Arabia.
He also fears that Gareth Southgate won’t include him in the England Euro 2024 squad because of Al-Ettifaq’s poor league form and the lack of intensity that the Saudi Pro League brings.
Henderson will pay a tax bill of around £7million due to him leaving within the first two years of his contract at Al-Ettiaq. Some of that money will go to Liverpool as they decided on a sell-on percentage.
Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq because he felt Liverpool no longer wanted him despite being club captain. He left without an Anfield goodbye after serving 12 years at the club.
The 33-year-old became one of the richest footballers in the world when he agreed his £700k-a-week contract but he also wanted to achieve something amongst that. He said he wanted to “achieve something special and build a club and build the league”, but that dream has now ended after six months.
Why does Henderson want to join Ajax?
Ajax is an exciting prospect for Henderson as it means a return to Europe. Ajax are the biggest team in the Eredivisie with 36 title wins. Their form is getting worse though as they sit in fifth – 23 points behind leaders PSV.
Ajax were also booted out of the Europa League. They managed a third-placed finish which means they will feature in the Europa Conference League.
Ajax and Henderson are finalising details in his contract as personal agreements have already been reached. A deal could be official in the next 48 hours.
It’s understood that Henderson will take a 75% pay decrease in his contract.
Could Henderson have re-joined Liverpool?
A move back to Anfield was never really on the cards for Henderson. Manager Jurgen Klopp was asked if Henderson could return and he replied: “He hasn’t called me. We spoke actually but not about that but I really have nothing to say about that.”
Another ex-Liverpool player Roberto Firmino is also looking to get away from Saudi Arabia. Firmino was one of three Liverpool players who went to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
The morale of the story in all this is just don’t leave Liverpool. It seems to be a curse as many players have left to have a change in their career and it has backfired. Sadio Mane, Phillipe Coutinho and Georginio Wijnaldum are a few others that have faced similar issues.
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