EXCLUSIVE Jordan Henderson is desperate to RETURN to the Premier League in a move that would cost him a personal fortune.. with the former Liverpool captain struggling to settle in Saudi Arabia after signing £700,000-a-week deal
- Jordan Henderson joined Al-Ettifaq from Liverpool in July 2023 in a £12m move
- He has struggled to settle and is now eager to make a return to English football
- CHRIS SUTTON: Being a great player doesn’t make a top manager. I put up cat towers over Christmas, but it doesn’t make me Nick Knowles – It’s All Kicking Off
Jordan Henderson is eager to return to the Premier League in a shock move that would cost him millions of pounds in tax and lost wages.
The England midfield player has struggled to settle since completing a £12million transfer from Liverpool to Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq last summer and will seriously consider any offers the club receive this month.
Henderson’s problems have been compounded by Al Ettifaq’s poor form, which has seen manager Steven Gerrard come under pressure from the owners following a dreadful run that has seen his side fail to win in eight matches stretching back to November.
In another sign of disruption at the Dammam-based club assistant manager Ian Foster resigned this week to take charge at Championship Plymouth Argyle.
Gerrard and Foster, who began his coaching career at Liverpool’s Academy and previously worked at the FA, were both instrumental in persuading Henderson to move to Saudi last summer in a surprise transfer that has not worked out as planned.
Jordan Henderson is already considering leaving Saudi Arabia, six months after going there
Steven Gerrard is under mounting pressure and he suffered another blow to his plans at Al-Ettifaq with the recruitment of his assistant coach Ian Foster (left) by Plymouth Argyle
In addition to adjusting to a different lifestyle the 33-year-old has also struggled with the heat and humidity of the playing conditions, while Al Ettifaq’s average attendance this season of 7,800 in a 35,000-capacity stadium has proved less than inspiring.
The abuse he has received for moving to Saudi in the first place, which has been criticised as an allegedly betrayal of the LGBTQ+ community, has also taken its toll.
Henderson is understood to have told team-mates he is considering his options before taking a short holiday during the Saudi Pro League’s winter break.
His discontent is such that he would consider taking a major pay-cut and writing off millions in tax if he receives a tempting offer from the Premier League, although with many clubs struggling to comply with the top flight’s spending restrictions he would have to take a significant pay cut.
While Henderson’s salary at Al Ettifaq has been widely reported as an extraordinary £700,000-a-week the tax-free element only applies if Henderson honours the first two years of his contract.
With Saudi Arabia operating a flat income tax rate of 20 per cent returning to England after six months would leave Henderson with a tax bill of around £7m.
A return to the Premier League would also boost Henderson’s prospects of being named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for this summer’s European Championship.
The England manager has kept faith with Henderson during this season’s qualifiers, although he was booed by fans at Wembley during a friendly against Australia in October, but playing at a higher level would aid his chances of making the tournament in Germany.
Gerrard’s future as manager at Al-Ettifaq is also up in the air during the break in the Saudi Pro League, which does not resume until the middle of next month.
Following an extraordinary £752m spending spree last summer 13 of the 18 clubs in the Saudi Pro League have already changed managers this season, with former Premier League stars Nuno Espirito Santo, Robbie Fowler and Igor Biscan all losing their jobs.
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Mohamed Salah shows off brand new look on Instagram after arriving for AFCON duty with Egypt
Salah departed Liverpool on the back of a superb display against Newcastle United on Monday.
With the Reds now set for potentially more than a month without their No.11, Jurgen Klopp is going to find it hard to replace him.
For Mo though, it’s a big month. The 31-year-old is yet to win an AFCON with Egypt and felt the heartbreak of losing the final against Sadio Mane’s Senegal two years ago.
This time around, Salah looks like he means business, though. Taking to his Instagram stories yesterday, the Liverpool forward showed off a mean looking trim.
Trimming back his trademark afro, the Egyptian looked smart with shaved sides and a freshly clipped beard. Look smart, play smart Mo. Good luck for the tournament!
Salah ready for business
Although we’ll miss Salah while he’s away, we have confidence that the rest of the Liverpool squad can cover him effectively.
There will be those who perhaps feel differently to this, but we’d love to see Egypt go all the way and win the trophy.
It would obviously mean a great deal to Mo, who captains the side, and would cement his place as an all-time legend with his country.
Because although he’s a undisputed icon in his homeland, he’s still being eclipsed a little by players of the past.
Egypt have a great record at AFCON. Having won the tournament seven times, they’re the most successful nation in its history. However, their last victory came back in 2010, a year before Salah’s debut.
Consequently, in the minds of plenty, Mo doesn’t quite stack up to the legendary Mohamed Aboutrika, who won both the 2006 and 2008 titles with Egypt.
Knowing the character that he is, that won’t sit right with Salah. He’ll be determined to lead his team to victory and cement his name as the greatest Pharaohs player in history.
So, we’d love to see it happen. Given Mane also placed second in the 2022 Ballon d’Or on the back of his title win with Senegal, it would also give Mo a boost in that regard. That can only be good news for Liverpool. As the Egyptian King arrives to lead his team, he certainly looks ready to handle his business.
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After leaving Liverpool in 2023, Jordan Henderson is now desperate to return to the Premier League.
Henderson was convinced by Steven Gerrard to make a shock £12m move to Al Ettifaq ahead of the new season. Jurgen Klopp was seemingly planning for the season with his captain onboard, but the 33-year-old jumped ship for the riches on offer in Saudi Arabia.
Now though, according to The Daily Mail, Henderson is already plotting his escape route from the Middle East. The former Reds skipper is reportedly struggling to adapt to the lifestyle and heat in Saudi Arabia, as well as the less-than-inspiring crowds Al Ettifaq are playing in-front of.
Another thing said to have ‘taken a toll’ on Henderson is the criticism he received from his homeland following his summer transfer.
As a result, and with the transfer window open, the England international is claimed to have told teammates that he’s ‘considering his options.’ Henderson would reportedly love to move back home to the Premier League, but would have to take a ‘significant’ pay-cut to do so.
Al Ettifaq are said to be open to offers for their captain, but a return to England would supposedly personally cost Henderson around £7m in lost income and tax. A truly sorry state of affairs.
Henderson ready for PL return
We hate to say it, but this is the least surprising story we’ve seen for a while. This was a move that was truly destined to fail.
That Henderson is ready to drop everything in Saudi and return after barely six months only underlines just what a mistake he made in leaving Liverpool last year.
Although Klopp had told the former skipper that he would no longer be a certain starter at Anfield this season, he would have definitely played a big part.
Henderson could have slowly made the transition from starter to helpful squad player with his reputation at the club well and truly intact.
Instead, he threw a hissy fit and moved to a start-up league for a massive payday.
As a result, it’s hard to feel too much sympathy for Henderson. But at the same time, this news only accentuates the sadness at the manner of his departure.
After 12 trophy-laden years at Anfield, Jordan should have left a hero. Instead, he chose to slink out of the backdoor.
There will perhaps be calls that Liverpool should save him from his nightmare and bring him back like nothing happened. Had the team been struggling this season, maybe they would have. But the Reds have now well and truly moved on without Henderson. The bridges have been burned.
Jurgen Klopp included a number of youngsters in first-team training ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal tomorrow.
The Reds head to the Emirates for the third round of the FA Cup in what promises to be a tight encounter.
And with a Dominik Szoboszlai the latest to be added to the injury list, Klopp has beefed up the squad with some academy talent.
Perhaps the most eye-catching of the young Liverpool stars to join in with Friday’s session was 16-year-old Trey Nyoni.
Nyoni has been impressing in the underage sides since his summer move from Leicester City, already earning a spot on the bench in the Premier League.
And the teenager could be spotted mixing it with the big boys once again this week. It’s unlikely that he’ll be in the squad for Sunday’s big one against the Gunners, but Nyoni is obviously in Klopp’s thinking at the very least.
Nyoni continues Liverpool progress
Since arriving from Leicester a few month back, Nyoni has been developing nicely at Liverpool.
As we head into the New Year now, we’ve labelled the 16-year-old as the Reds’ young player to keep an eye on in 2024. He’s got a big future ahead of him.
One man who certainly seems to agree is Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. Former Reds midfielder and current academy coach Jay Spearing detailed back in November how Van Dijk had made a point of watching Trey recently.
The Dutchman is said to have congratulated Nyoni on his rise to training with the senior squad and is apparently keeping an eye on his development.
In many ways, it’s unfortunate that Liverpool have such a difficult tie in the third round of the cup this year.
Usually, this is when managers of the top teams get the chance to run the rule over some of their promising young players. Two years ago for example, the Reds took on Shrewsbury Town at Anfield.
That gave the opportunity for youngsters like Conor Bradley and Kaide Gordon – who scored that day – to show what they can do. A similar tie this weekend might have led to Nyoni getting some minutes.
But with Arsenal likely to go strong on Sunday, there’s little to no chance of that now happening. Nevertheless, if Nyoni keeps on getting these call-ups, it surely won’t be long before we do see him out on the pitch. Good work, Trey. Keep on working hard.
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