With the transfer window in full flow, the impact of Saudi Arabian interest in Premier League players is increasing by the day. Reports emerged in the past week about a possible deal that would reunite Liverpool’s current and former captains.
The story advanced significantly last night, with the Athletic’s David Ornstein reporting that Jordan Henderson was ‘leaning towards’ accepting a move to Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq. The contract is believed to be around four times his current wage.
Experienced LFC journalist Neil Jones has written about the possible ramifications of the Henderson transfer in his Substack column this morning.
On the latest episode of our Journo Insight show, we asked Neil for his take on the deal.
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Neil said:
“We know that interest has been real from Saudi Arabia… I think my gut reaction was always ‘no chance’.
“This isn’t taking someone out of the gutter and giving them a future that they never thought they’d ever get. This is a rich person getting richer.
“Your captain, your ‘Mr. Liverpool’ of this modern era, taken away by this new club… I don’t think at the start of the summer anyone was considering the idea that the captain of Liverpool would be potentially leaving.
“You didn’t ‘stick to football’ when you were at Liverpool and there were things going on in England that you didn’t like, and you didn’t agree with. You didn’t ‘stick to football’ when the pandemic was happening and the NHS was in need, or when a young supporter – gay supporter – was going to Wembley and was attacked. You reached out to offer your support and to raise awareness.
“It wouldn’t wash for someone like him to not address these issues. It would be fair to ask him, and it would be expected of him that he would at least address them and answer them.
“You can’t undo the good that’s been done in the past, but I think it would leave a sour taste for a lot of people.
“It probably saves them [Liverpool] a tough decision at some point, doesn’t it? If he doesn’t play and he’s the captain, there’s an active discussion – do you have to change your captain?
“I think Liverpool will get a fee for Henderson. It’s not a great fee, but it’s a fee. They get a big wage, a big earner off the bill. What you lose obviously is that cultural behavioural influence that he’s had.
“It does bring opportunities, doesn’t it? What can we build that’s new? There are lots of strong characters in there and potential for others to grow.”
Redmen Reacts
Looking at the transfer from a dispassionate point of view, the deal makes some sense for Liverpool. Henderson may have been told explicitly (or may have seen the signs) that he is no longer a guaranteed starter for the club and that his playing time is going to be severely reduced over the remainder of his contract. If that is the case, then it is only natural he may look to move elsewhere. The Reds could use any fee received and his reduction in wages to go after a long-term replacement such as Romeo Lavia. Jürgen Klopp has tended to introduce new signings slowly while they acclimatise to his training methods and expectations. A new deeper-lying midfielder would not have this luxury – especially with the possible exit of Fabinho – and would need to hit the ground running as the club looks to reestablish itself amongst the Premier League elite. The loss of Henderson as the man who sets the standards and as an experienced head in the Reds midfield could be a gamble as we go into the new season.
Neil is also correct to reference the captain’s previously outspoken stance on LGBTQ+ rights. Liverpool LGBTQ+ fan group Kop Outs have already released a statement saying they are ‘appalled and concerned’ at the prospect of the transfer. As recently as 2000, Saudi Arabia executed three men for ‘committing the extreme obscenity of homosexuality and imitating women’. Others have been imprisoned and received lashes for ‘dancing and behaving like women’.
As Jordan wrote in his autobiography – published only last year:
‘When you see something that is clearly wrong and makes another human being feel excluded, you should stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them… That’s where my own position on homophobia in football is rooted… The idea that any of them would feel excluded from playing or attending a football match, simply for being and identifying as who they are, blows my mind’.
It is hard to square statements like these with someone who is willing to align themself with the Saudi football project. Whilst Al-Ettifaq are not owned by the Saudi PIF, the increase in Pro-League spending has been encouraged by the country’s royal family, who rule the country with what Amnesty International described as ‘dangerous intolerance’.
Jordan is of course free to make a living how he sees fit. His rumoured contract will secure a future for him, his family, and several generations of his family to come. It is undeniable that the prospect of earning £700,000 a week would test most people’s principles, but the point of holding principles is to not abandon them when they are tested.
TO HEAR MORE FROM NEIL ON THE FABINHO & HENDERSON, CLICK HERE
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