Jordan Henderson Faces Backlash Over His Imminent Switch To Saudi Arabia As Darwin Nunez Inherits The Number 9 Jersey
Written By Onyeka Daniel
It’s no longer news that Liverpool midfielder and captain, Jordan Henderson has agreed a deal with Saudi Arabia club, Al-Ettifaq to follow in the new wave of players moving to the oil rich state to play their last few years before retirement.
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The 33yrs old has reportedly met with Jurgen Klopp to inform him of his decision and personal terms have been agreed with the club, but the deal faces several issues before it can go through.
They’ve already appointed Kops legend, Steven Gerrard as their new coach and are set to follow it up with the capture of Henderson, but they will have to find an agreement with the Reds who are demanding at least €10m to let the player go with two years left in his contract while the Al-Ettifaq are hoping to get him for free due to his age.
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The olayer has reportedly been offered a staggering £700k-a-week salary, which would see him almost quadruple the money he’s on with the Reds. Former Liverpool winger, Jermaine Pennant remains shocked at the sums being offered to the Liverpool captain, citing concerns over what he would bring to the team.
The former Liverpool man said on TalkSport: “It is crazy and I don’t know what they see in him. It is Jordan Henderson, it is not like they are trying to prise Lionel Messi away. It is just Jordan Henderson.” Goldstein added: “He has been a good captain for Liverpool but I don’t think he is a game-changer. His assists and goals, the numbers are very low. You can’t argue with what he has done with Liverpool. He has been their captain, their leader, I get all that.”
Pennant then continued: “See you say that but you tell me a game that Jordan Henderson has been a standout player, or done something that has stood out, I can’t. Okay, he was there but I can’t think of a game where I’ve thought, ‘oh yeah, this is why we’ve signed Jordan Henderson’.”
Apart from having to deal with Liverpool and any potential transfer fee, the Saudi club face the biggest challenge from the LGBTQ community for Henderson. His potential switch to the Middle East has gathered huge criticism from the club’s LGBTQ community. The 33-year-old has previously been a reliable ally and spoken out about the issues. Saudi Arabia though have very different cultural values.
“Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by @JHenderson,” the group tweeted. “We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a #sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed & that regularly tops the world death sentence table?”
Kop Outs also released a statement via social media on Thursday in response to the transfer speculation, saying that they hoped that Henderson would “prove to be a man of his word” and reject the move. “Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson,” they said. “We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of.”
The club have confirmed that Darwin Nunez is the club’s new number nine after the shirt number was briefly left vacant following Firmino’s exit this summer. He discussed the number change with Liverpool’s official website and admitted he is eager to get started with a new number on his back but the same targets next term. “I’m really happy to wear number nine. And I’m very proud too,” the Uruguay international explained.
Nunez added: “Honestly, previously other players represented this number really well and now it’s my turn to wear it. And I hope that everything goes well. I hope I’m able to represent it the best way just as the previous players did. And hopefully, this is for many years and that it brings a lot of joy too
Meanwhile…
The Reds are also prepared for another Saudi Arabian side, Al-Ittihad to bid £40million for Fabinho, which is why the EPL side are moving for Southampton’s Romeo Lavia as his replacement. Lavia joined the Saints from Premier League champions Manchester City for an initial £10.5m last summer and despite their relegation from the top flight, mightily impressed in midfield.
The Belgian, who recently won his first cap at international level, has been the subject of concrete interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, but Liverpool appear to be leading the race. The Reds are undergoing restructuring in their midfield with the arrivals of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined £105.
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James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain also left the club upon the expiration of their contracts in June. Like Fabinho captain, Jordan Henderson could be set to follow out of the exit door in a big-money move to Saudi Arabia, as striker Roberto Firmino already has done, joining Al-Ahli.
That’s all lead to Liverpool’s interest in Lavia, who Southampton manager Russell Martin admits could leave the club and return to the Premier League. Klopp is keen to bring in a new midfielder should Fabinho depart for the Middle East. According to another report, Al-Ittihad’s pursuit of Fabinho is set to ramp up with an opening £40m transfer offer which Liverpool will consider accepting.
The Brazilian midfielder turns 30 in October and is contracted to Anfield until 2026. Fabinho also suffered a serious dip in form last season, like many of his team-mates, leading Klopp to reshape his team.
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