Jordan Henderson has reached an agreement with Al Ettifaq to leave the Saudi Pro League club and is close to joining Ajax on a permanent basis, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
The England international and his current side are in the process of finalising the termination of a three-year contract that he signed last summer, ensuring no transfer fee will be involved in the midfielder’s exit.
Meanwhile, Henderson is flying back to the UK from Al Ettifaq’s winter training camp in Abu Dhabi, having agreed a switch to Ajax in principle.
That proposed move also requires paperwork and details to be ironed out before the 33-year-old former Liverpool midfielder’s return to European football is complete after a brief stint in the SPL.
Henderson’s exit from Saudi Arabia comes just six months after his move from Anfield.
Henderson ended a 12-year stay at Liverpool last July to move to Saudi Arabia and in September, he defended his switch after widespread criticism, telling The Athletic in an exclusive interview that he wanted to “achieve something special and build a club and build the league”.
He played 17 times in the SPL, recording four assists for the side managed by former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard, but leaves midway through his first season for the club.
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Speaking about his move, Henderson said: “I wanted something that would excite me. But it needed to be something that I felt as though I could add value in and do and try something new — a new challenge and for different reasons.
“And this opportunity with Stevie (Gerrard) in a totally different league and totally different culture was something completely different, that maybe it would excite us in terms of the project that was put in front of us, in terms of the league and using my experience to try to help with that in many different areas and feeling that people value.
“It’s nice to feel wanted. I know Stevie really wanted me. I know the club really wanted me to go and they wanted us to try and build over the next few years — something that is here to stay and be one of the best leagues in the world.”
Last June, the Saudi Arabia ministry of sport announced the country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was to take control of four teams in the Saudi Pro League: Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr. Many high-profile transfers followed that announcement, with Karim Benzema, Roberto Firmino and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic among those to join Henderson in swapping European football for the Gulf state.
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Ajax, meanwhile, struggled for much of 2023. After recording their worst Eredivisie finish (third place) since 2008-09 last term, the Amsterdam club began this season in dismal form.
Maurice Steijn lasted only 11 games in charge before being sacked in October, with Ajax second bottom in the league having won only five points from their opening seven Eredivisie fixtures.
Results, though, have drastically improved under interim head coach John van ‘t Schip. Since his appointment on October 30, Ajax are unbeaten in the league and have risen to fifth place thanks to seven wins and two draws in nine matches — but remain 23 points behind runaway leaders PSV and 11 behind second-placed Feyenoord, who occupy the final Champions League qualification spot.
(MB Media/Getty Images)
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