By John Smith • Updated: 19 Jan 2024 • 11:07
Jordan Henderson with his team mates in Saudi Arabia Credit: Etiffaq club X
The exodus to Saudi Arabia from European Football Clubs which started six months ago has now seen its first big name decide to leave.
Former Liverpool skipper and regular England midfielder Jordan Henderson has decided that life in Saudi Arabia is not for him and his family and in order to allow a clean break which won’t cost them any wages or fees, his club Al Etiffaq, managed by Steven Gerard, has agreed to terminate his contract.
After playing 19 matches for the Saudi club, this means that he is free to find another club during the January transfer window and it appears that Dutch side Ajax who are sitting in fifth place in the Dutch First Division are making a bid for him.
According to Sky Sports he was due to fly to The Netherlands to finalise the deal on January 18 but as he doesn’t have a work permit for Holland as yet, he won’t be able to play for them over the following weekend.
Not every player who made the move has settled in to life in Saudi Arabia and although the money is no doubt good, the lack of crowds and quality of matches means that Henderson whilst the first, may not be the last of the British players to return to Europe.
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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