Jordan Henderson's Saudi interview smacked of a player with a bruised ego

Among the many contradictions in what was a car crash of an interview as Jordan Henderson attempted to tell his side of the story on his move to Saudi Arabia this week, perhaps the most bizarre was the claim that “at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.”

This is, of course, 33-year-old Jordan Henderson who last season appeared in 43 of Liverpool’s 52 games, a player who has been continually backed by Jurgen Klopp - including the manager personally intervening in contract talks two summers ago.

Then aged 31, talks with Henderson had stalled, with Liverpool’s hierarchy not keen to give long-term contracts to players in their twilight years.

Claims of interest in Henderson from PSG and Atletico Madrid were reported and eventually it took Klopp to persuade the club to agree a new four-year deal for the captain. “We will sort it, however it will be,” Klopp told reporters in 2021. “No doubt about that. It will get sorted.”

Within a fortnight a new contract had been signed, taking him up to age 35 on a reported £200,000 per week.

To say it was a break from Liverpool’s usual policy would be an understatement. There have been suggestions that the incident was part of the reasoning behind Michael Edwards’ decision to quit as sporting director.

It gets worse though, the more you read of Henderson’s exclusive interview with The Athletic, especially when he says: “I saw Jurgen said a few days ago that he’s really happy with the transfer window and he loves his team. Which tells you the players that left, he probably wanted to go.”

It’s quite incredible that a senior footballer, a man who has captained Liverpool for eight years and regularly worn the armband for England can believe that what a manager says in a public press conference is gospel. What else was Klopp going to say?! That he wasn’t happy with the summer transfers?!

It smacks of a bruised ego.

Perhaps Henderson missed Klopp saying of his departure: “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.”

“They’ll have had a plan,” claims Henderson - completely going against the fact Liverpool were utterly blindsided by the Saudi moves for him and Fabinho, then went around in circles in their failed attempts to sign a replacement defensive midfielder, eventually settling on 30-year-old Wataru Endo once the season had already started.

If you think that was Liverpool’s plan all along then you’ve not been paying attention, Jordan.

“There’s always a plan, there’s always a strategy, especially with this ownership,” added Henderson. Again, failing to take into account the failed attempts to sign Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia that were clearly a reaction to having lost Henderson and Fabinho so unexpectedly.

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Honesty and England chances

There was, at least, honesty when it came to his role at Liverpool after talks with Klopp: “I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much.

“If I’m not playing [..] that can be quite difficult for me.”

Henderson had seen the writing on the wall and wanted out. A move to Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq just happened to arrive days after he returned to pre-season following the signing of Dominik Szoboszlai. 

Quite who among those who cobbled together the move initially thought that Liverpool would accept a free transfer for their captain is baffling. The fee was eventually £12 million, leaving Liverpool pretty pleased with the deal. 

Henderson explains that not wanting to play a bit-part role at Liverpool is down to the importance of being in the England squad  - “England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up,” he says.

Quite why you’d think playing in Saudi Arabia heightens your chances of being in the England squad, rather than playing and captaining Liverpool Football Club, is baffling logic.

Gareth Southgate’s continual selection of the likes of Kalvin Phillips shows you don’t actually have to be playing regularly to get in the England squad.

“I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much,” says Henderson in another attempt to explain the move, but overlooking the fact Liverpool are in the Europa League and had to sign four midfielders this summer after losing him, Fabinho, James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Quite clearly, had he remained at Liverpool, Henderson would have clocked plenty of playing time, remained as Liverpool captain, and possibly even lifted the Europa League a fortnight before the Euros starts next summer.

Frankly, if he’d just come out and said that the money was too good to turn down - rather than claiming “money has never been a motivation” - then we’d all have said, yeah fair enough.

Indeed, if it wasn’t about money and it was actually about wanting to remain in the England squad, then why not just speak to Klopp and explain that he wanted to leave and seek a move to another Premier League or European side where he would be playing more regularly?

“I wanted something that would excite me,” says Henderson, whose last game was played in front of 2,281 spectators - almost exactly the same attendance as Aldershot Town vs. Chesterfield in the National League last weekend. 

‘Not a politician’

Henderson Tweeted in Arabic after that match: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the hospitality of the hosts, the enthusiasm of the fans, the exciting league and the irreplaceable sense of victory. Next is better”

It was a message written like a statesman, but Henderson says “I’m not a politician.” 

He is, though, being used - quite clearly from that Tweet - to spread the political message of Saudi Arabia. Does he not realise that he’s just a small pawn in their political sport-washing agenda? Or does the money simply make it too easy to ignore?

What Henderson, or anyone that moves to Saudi Arabia, does is their own free choice, but they shouldn’t try to justify it with a re-writing of reality.

Henderson’s interview drew criticism from The Telegraph’s Henry Winter who said “the move’s about hypocrisy, too, given his past support for the LGBTQ+ community.”

“They knew what my beliefs were,” claims Henderson about Al Ettifaq. “They knew what causes and campaigns I’ve done in the past and not once was it brought up” - except in the official video unveiling him where they edited out the rainbow flag. But never aside from that.

Henderson says he isn’t a politician, but everybody lives in society and therefore everything has a political link. Well, provided you live in a democracy and not a nation where a man can be sentenced to death for their activity on Twitter and YouTube. 

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