Former Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson has decided to leave Saudi Pro League team Al-Ettifaq after only joining them six months ago.
The English international was heavily criticised for leaving the Premier League and deciding to play in the Middle East and link up with Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard for his Al-Ettifaq team.
Henderson is reportedly being pursued by Fulham and Newcastle United, as per a report published by Fichajes.
Several Premier League and European clubs have been linked with a move for Henderson but now Premier League duo Newcastle and Fulham are looking to beat their competition and sign the midfielder.
The former Sunderland midfielder enjoyed a successful time with the Merseyside club. He rose to prominence with Liverpool, where he won every major title before leaving the team in the summer of 2023. Following Steven Gerrard’s departure, he was named the Reds’ captain, and he went on to accomplish great things with the team.
He chose to leave the club last summer after serving for 12 arduous years. The 33-year-old relocated to the Middle East and signed with Al-Ettifaq, a Saudi Pro League team, who are reportedly paying him £700,000 per week.
However, the experienced midfielder is still not content in the Middle East due to the problems surrounding his transfer, the general performance of his squad, and the weather in the Middle East. Henderson and his family are finding it hard to adapt to life in Saudi Arabia (or even in Bahrain, where his family resides, across the border).
The former Premier League midfielder can still prove to be useful for a number of teams with his wealth of experience at the top level of the game. He rose to prominence under Jurgen Klopp and lead the Liverpool team out of crisis and made them the best in the world at one stage.
Newcastle are active in the market to sign a midfielder to cope with Sandro Tonali’s absence due to a long term ban and they feel Henderson can be the perfect player for their team with his experience in the Premier League.