Jürgen Klopp has claimed it was a “really, really tough decision” for Jordan Henderson to leave Liverpool for a £700,000-a-week deal in Saudi Arabia after confirmation of the midfielder’s transfer to Al-Ettifaq. Fabinho could soon join his former teammate in the Saudi Pro League after being omitted from Liverpool’s pre-season trip to Singapore.
Henderson posted a farewell to Liverpool supporters on Instagram on Wednesday, after he was filmed training with Steven Gerrard’s squad in Croatia, and his exit was confirmed almost 17 hours later.
Liverpool will receive £12m plus add-ons for the 33-year-old, who has signed a three-year contract, and have a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad for Fabinho. Talks over the Brazilian’s transfer are understood to be close to a resolution and, as such, he was not part of the Liverpool travelling party that left on Thursday for two pre-season friendlies Singapore.
The club plan to make Roméo Lavia their third midfield recruit of the summer and remain in negotiations with Southampton for the 19-year-old. Southampton rejected an initial £37m package this week but Liverpool are expected to return with a £45m proposal.
Henderson exits after 12 highly successful years at Liverpool, eight as captain, during which he won eight trophies. Klopp described it as a career to be proud of, although he believes Henderson’s importance at Liverpool was not truly appreciated.
The Liverpool manager said: “I know, and it is always like this in life, people will only appreciate him properly after he has left. I think he didn’t get the proper appreciation or respect he would have deserved over the years – from some for sure, but not from all. Now he leaves, I would say, not on the highest high because obviously last season was not fantastic, but leaving on a high and I think that’s good.
“In the future when people are looking back then they will realise Jordan Henderson was the skipper of [our] most successful squad until then – I hope we can create another one – and the skipper of the first Premier League title winners and all these kind of things. That’s a special career. He should be, and will be in the future, proud of it.”
Henderson said his goodbyes to the Liverpool squad and coaching staff on Monday. 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.”
Henderson’s decision to accept a lucrative contract in Saudi Arabia has attracted fierce criticism given his previous support for the LGBTQ+ community and inclusion within the game. Liverpool’s official LGBT+ fan group, Kop Outs, has condemned Henderson and Gerrard for moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death.
It said in a statement: “Given choices he has recently made, Kop Outs doubt & question if @JHenderson was ever an actual ally.” The Liverpool Supporters Board said it too was disappointed by Henderson’s choice and that it stood “in solidarity with our allies” from Kop Outs.
Kop Outs also criticised Liverpool, saying: “We question the decision of @LFC to accept money from such a regime. We have long campaigned for Liverpool to resist investment from countries with poor human rights records.”
