Jordan Henderson wants out of Al-Ettifaq after six months, with Graeme Souness suggesting the midfielder’s wife may be influencing that transfer push.
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England international left Anfield in 2023Already wants to leave the Middle EastLucrative contract making deal difficultWHAT HAPPENED?
One former Liverpool captain moved to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023, with a lucrative contract in the Middle East seeing him link up with ex-Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard. Henderson has found the going tough, with positive results in short supply, and the England international is said to already be looking for a move elsewhere.
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Another former Liverpool skipper, Reds legend Souness, has told of why Henderson is feeling restless: “He would have known about the climate in Saudi Arabia, and known he was going to a much inferior league given the Premier League is best one out there. I would imagine if they were top of the league and he was being well received as the player they thought they were getting, we would not be talking about this. I think it is a combination of him having a miserable time, and because the club has underachieved.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Souness added on the family issues that could be driving Henderson’s desire to leave Saudi Arabia: “Could I deal with the heat? Yes. Could I deal with losing every week? Yes. The one thing I could not take, was if my wife was not there, I would be like ‘I just can’t do this’. I am second guessing, but if she is still living in Cheshire somewhere, and that is what is driving it, that is a whole different argument. The other two I could deal with, I am not sure I could deal with my wife telling me I can’t live here.”
GOALWHAT NEXT FOR HENDERSON?
Henderson is reportedly earning £350,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq, making it difficult for any loan move to be agreed. If he was to walk away from that contract, then there has been talk of the 33-year-old returning to England or heading to mainland Europe for a fresh start at Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen or Juventus.
