28 July 2023 , 16:26
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Jordan Henderson had two private phone calls with Liverpool owner John Henry before his lucrative move to Saudi Arabia was made official.
The former Reds captain completed a switch to Al-Ettifaq earlier this week. He has penned a three-year deal in the Gulf State and is set to earn around £700k per week.
Henderson’s move brings to an end a hugely successful 12-year spell on Merseyside. In that time, he has helped the Reds to a sixth European crown, their first-ever Premier League title and a whole host of other trophies. The decision to leave was likely an emotional one for the former Sunderland midfielder but it appears that he sought advice from those at the club before leaving.
According to The Athletic, Henderson twice called Liverpool ’s American owner John W.Henry whilst negotiations were ongoing between the Reds and Al-Ettifaq. That process is said to have lasted five days before a £12m transfer fee was eventually settled upon.
Once a deal had been thrashed out between the two clubs, Henderson then spoke to his teammates to explain a move. It is suggested that the midfielder went to Liverpool’s training centre to bid farewell to club staff.
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He then travelled to Manchester Airport to meet the squad, who were returning home after their 4-4 friendly draw with Greuther Furth. Henderson made a speech to the players and reportedly reiterated that one of the reasons behind his move ‘was a desire not to hold the club back’.
Jordan Henderson signs for Al-Effitaq (Twitter@https://twitter.com/Ettifaq_EN)Did Henderson make the right decision to move to Saudi Arabia? Share your thoughts in the comments below
The squad then went to Wilmslow for a final meal together before the move was rubber-stamped. Speaking about Henderson’s decision to depart, Reds’ boss Jurgen Klopp said: "I know it was a really, really tough decision for Hendo and I was around or with him all the way.
"It's sad, absolutely strange, because he is the only captain I had here at Liverpool, but I think it is exciting for him as well. We will miss him, without a shadow of a doubt, that's clear - as a man and as a player. But, as I said, that's football."
Meanwhile, the German also opened up on the midfielder’s farewell. He added: "In the moment, it is absolutely fine but it was already ongoing for a while now, so we had time to adapt to it and get used to it.
"It is football, it is life, it is normal, these kind of things happen Monday, when we arrived back in Liverpool, Hendo was waiting for us to say goodbye properly to the team and to the coaching staff as well, so that was a really nice gesture - a really nice thing to do."
Henderson now links up with former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard in Saudi Arabia, the Reds icon a driving force behind the move.