Jordan Henderson appears to be on his way to Saudi Arabia. Credit: Getty Images/Andrew Powell
Liverpool have agreed to sell captain Jordan Henderson to Al Ettifaq for £12m. Henderson did not feature in the club's first pre-season friendly amid continued interest from the Saudi Arabian club.
Manager Jurgen Klopp made the important decision to rule out the skipper ahead of the Karlsruhe match on Wednesday night, insisting that it was his decision not to pick Henderson or Fabinho, who were also the subject of a bid from Al Ittihad.
«At the end of the day, all these decisions are made by me,» Klopp said after the 4-2 win in Germany. “And because I have a lot of respect for the players, it's usually [with their] consent. That was the case here and everything is fine.”
Henderson was part of the training camp, but his absence confirmed his imminent departure after contact was finally established between the clubs. A 12-year career at Anfield comes to an end.
Al Ettifak, the club coached by Kop legend Steven Gerrard, offered Henderson a contract worth over £30m a year through their representatives.
Liverpool have been adamant that they want a hefty transfer fee, and that figure could rise further depending on certain points.
Klopp left Henderson for the warm-up match, the first clear hint that he was preparing to start the new season without his skipper.
At 33, Henderson's role in the Liverpool team was about to change. No longer a guaranteed starting player, he has been mulling his future ever since the Saudi Arabia offer was made to him.
Fabinho, 29, is close to becoming the fourth senior midfielder to leave Anfield since May, and has been granted permission to negotiate terms with Al Ittihad as negotiations progress on a £40m deal.
Neither his departure nor Henderson's was expected until a few weeks ago, the Saudi interest could be destabilizing if Liverpool don't react quickly to find a replacement.
Henderson has come under fire for considering the Saudi proposal due to his previous comments regarding human rights, especially regarding the LGBT community.
Now the deal has been agreed and it is almost certain that he will join the exodus of stars into the Saudi professional league.
Analysis: The recklessness of Henderson's 2021 contract extension backfired on Liverpool
Chris Bascombe
It took two years and Saudi intervention, but Jordan Henderson and Liverpool finally seem to be on the same page. Extending his contract with Liverpool in 2021 was a serious and devastating mistake.
With Henderson two years away from his previous contract and talks deadlocked, American club owner Fenway Sports Group, led by a team of analysts led by former director of football Michael Edwards, was initially reluctant to deviate from its successful 'Moneyball' policy of forensic accounting for every cent and looking years ahead rather than the season ahead.
The logic behind the 31-year-old's £200,000 a week salary increase 2025 has been a hot topic both internally and externally, with all the evidence suggesting it will become less productive over its four-year term.
The same wisdom meant that Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane — in the same situations as the captain — would not receive an extension. Going back to the time when Steven Gerrard was allowed to leave for LA Galaxy in 2015 instead of an extension, romance has given way to reason.
Feeling underappreciated, Henderson took a risk by threatening to leave Anfield with Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, who are said to be following the talks.
It paid off after Klopp's critical intervention. “We will figure it out. There is no doubt about it,” Klopp said.
Two days later, the deal was closed. Liverpool, proud that their success was the result of a relentless 'sticking to the plan', made an exception.
“I want to be here as long as possible. I've always said that,» Henderson told club media.
Unfortunately, Edwards' plans to leave Liverpool were first reported the day before the official signing of the contract extension. Conspiratorial minds arranged a holiday.
The Merseyside club have so well silenced the outside 'noise' and prepared for the future that worry that they would leave themselves so vulnerable was palpable among those who marveled at the FSG's tough approach to transfers and contract renewals.
Memories of it have been unshakable over the last two seasons, as Liverpool failed to add blood to midfield and the Henderson deal was seen as a fork in the road to Klopp's plans by its central reserve.
While Liverpool weren't the only reason Liverpool delayed midfield development until the recent arrivals of Alexis McAlister and Dominik Soboslai – they tried to sign at least one midfielder last summer – keeping Henderson has undoubtedly had some impact.
>The fee would have exceeded £12m in 2021 and Bellingham would have been cheaper
Most fans agree that the adjustment needed to start at least a year ago, in order to prevent Liverpool «became a hostage of good luck, since their 30-year-olds lose dynamism or, as happened with Henderson and Fabinho, study the changing landscape due to the interests of Saudi Arabia.
If Henderson was sold in 2021, Liverpool, Liverpool would receive more than 12 million pounds and replaced it with a younger model. Then Jude Bellingham wouldn't be worth £115 million.
Alternatively, had Liverpool started the 2022-23 campaign with Henderson among the four midfielders in their final season (James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita have left recently), it would have been more urgent to act. Would that spare Liverpool the humiliation of losing the Champions League? A high-class midfielder would certainly help to score the necessary additional five points. They definitely wouldn't need to sign four midfielders in one window.
The peak of five outgoing midfielders is over. No tears were shed for Keita and Oxlade-Chamberlain after the minimal contribution. Milner couldn't go on forever and the £52million for the highly paid Fabinho and Henderson is not bad business. This cannot hide uncharacteristically flawed forward planning.
Klopp claims this is retrospective wisdom and no one questioned the quality of his midfield options in the immediate aftermath of a four-time bid in 2021-22. But there was a lot of anxiety, even ahead of the 2022 Champions League final when Fabinho and Thiago brought injuries to the game in Paris and had minimal support.
The Liverpool manager is known for his empathy for his players. He agreed that Henderson deserved an award for his excellent service in 2021 and acknowledges that Saudi Arabia's offers are insanely large, especially for a player who was no longer a guaranteed starter.
But the time of so many departures means the midfield reboot is now a drastic overhaul.
It can be assumed that Klopp believes replacements can be secured quickly and within his budget.
Henderson will leave Liverpool a legend, a captain who helped end a 30-year wait for the English title and lifted the Champions League, Club World Cup, FA Cup and League Cup. Not even Ron Yeats, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson and Graeme Souness managed all of that.
He was nearly sold to Fulham by Brendan Rodgers in 2012, and some were happy to grant permission to consider his options in 2021, but his steely determination – often under-rated – won him key battles on and off the pitch.
Exiting now means there will be no final guard of honor at Anfield, though. Part of him must have regretted that he never signed that last contract, which allowed him to have a well-deserved dismissal with Milner and Firmino.
Even the most titled and dedicated footballer must sacrifice emotional goodbyes when the club allows them to leave on their favorable terms.
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