Despite the perception surrounding Jordan Henderson’s entry into the Saudi Arabian league, this midfield player has not fared well in a sport that is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, he remains a key member of the Al-Ettifaq squad and was once the captain of the Reds. The Premier League veteran has been waning in importance as time passes. Hendo has been among the least productive top signings this year, even from the stands where the AlEttifaq fans do not support their team with extremely low attendances that do not even surpass 650 attendees. This is coupled with a very underwhelming season in the Saudi Pro-League and their recent elimination from the King’s Cup of Champions against Al-Nassr.
Due to Henderson’s high salary and a particularly ineffective period for the team, this organisation has had to review the investments it has made thus far. A few weeks ago, there was even discussion about Henderson’s potential departure for the following season, which would have freed up 150 million euros from Al Ettifaq’s payroll and allowed Steven Gerrard to have more media features that improve the team and fan interest.
Henderson’s departure from the Reds was obvious, but he also had the chance to join a different European media team and end up with any of his suitors from the old continent. His legacy will live on in Liverpool and the England team, which has started to look past him a little bit because of his extremely low playing standard. This player is so controversial that even the Three Lions team’s supporters believe he should not have moved to Saudi Arabia for financial gain.
Henderson is not the only former Red who has had a bad time
While Hendo has deteriorated and is no longer considered a luxury reinforcement in Saudi Arabia, Roberto Firmino of the Al-Ahli team has been worn out for weeks by his inability to contribute to his team’s offensive, having gone from being the hero of his debut with a hat-trick to being benched because of his subpar play.
