Liverpool transfers: Double deal to follow quickly as Jordan Henderson gets emotional Klopp send-off following Al-Ettifaq confirmation
Jordan Henderson signs for Al-Ettifaq
Jordan Henderson has officially brought the curtain down on his 12-year spell at Liverpool following confirmation of is £12m move to Al-Ettifaq – and the departing captain departs Anfield with an emotional triubute from Jurgen Klopp.
The 33-year-old midfielder is in the money after finalising a three-year deal in Saudi Arabia, where he reunites with another Anfield legend in Steven Gerrard. Signing a deal worth a staggering £700,000 a week, generations of Henderson’s family will be made for life with the player amassing a personal £109m fortune during his time in the Gulf State.
That lifetime-changing amount of money saw the midfielder become arguably the most high-profile player in the Premier League to move to Saudi Arabia. Turning his back on trophies and European football with the Reds, Henderson’s move has left something of a bitter taste with some.
Henderson departs Anfield having captained Liverpool through one of the most successful periods in their history. Indeed, he has captained the side in three Champions League finals, lifting the trophy in 2019, while also skippering the club to their first domestic English championship title in 30 years in 2020.
A short club statement confirmed his move, stating: “As his Anfield chapter now comes to a close with a move to Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, everybody at Liverpool Football Club wishes to place on record their thanks and gratitude for everything Jordan Henderson did for the club during his 12 years as a Red.”
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Klopp pays rich tribute to Jordan Henderson
While perhaps a little straight to the point, it was left for Reds boss Klopp to truly state what his exit means at Anfield.
In a video message to Henderson, released on the club’s Twitter feed, an emotional Klopp begins: “Hi, skipper!
“We will miss you, you know that. You will miss us, I know that. But it’s life.
“It’s not forever, it is just a goodbye. It’s wishing good luck, you wished it to us and we wish it to you.
“We will follow you, you will follow us. I said in the beginning when I arrived here that life should be that we all collect together, and when we are together, we collect stories together.
“We make it our story. When you look back now already, I think you can’t avoid a smile – and I feel exactly the same.
“So, the longest-serving skipper for me, I always had long-serving skippers, [Sebastian] Kehl, seven years (at Dortmund), [Dimo] Wache, seven years and three months (at Mainz). You are seven years and eight or nine months, so you won that race as well!
“I will miss you. I will miss the talks we have, not always easy talks, but I wish you the best of luck.
“You, Becs and the kids, I wish you the best of luck for this journey.
“If nobody told you yet, I will tell you now. You are a legend.
“I know people say recently we use that word slightly too often, I can tell you, that it’s not in your case.
“All the best, skip. Speak soon, see you soon and I hope you find time to come back and we can say goodbye as a club properly because that’s what you deserve.
“Thank you, see you soon. And don’t forget, you’ll never walk alone.”
Fabinho to soon follow Henderson out at Liverpool; another arrival close
Liverpool will receive an intial £12m for Henderson from the Saudi Arabian side. TEAMtalk understands the deal will see Liverpool paid another £1m per year for the each year of his contract that Henderson completes, taking the amount to £15m.
Henderson becomes the sixth midfielder to leave Anfield since last season, following James Milner, Naby Keita, Arthur Melo, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Fabio Carvalho, albeit the last one in a temporary capacity, out the door.
His exit, though, won’t be the last either, with a deal for Fabinho also now entering the final stages.
That move had suffered something of a knockback earlier this week amid a dispute over the payment plan.
However, it’s now claimed that deal is back on track with The Athletic revealing officials at Al Ittihad are fully committed to pushing the move over the line.
To enhance their chances, the 29-year-old Brazilian has been left out of Liverpool’s squad to tour Singapore, which departs on Thursday. The Reds face Leicester on Sunday before tackling Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
But Fabinho will not be part of their touring party as his move to Saudi Arabia closes in.
Liverpool will receive an estimated £40m for Fabinho’s services, with both his and Henderson’s sales adding to their transfer pot.
However, the money is unlikely to burn a hole in the Merseysiders’ pockets for long.
The Reds are closing in on the signing of Romeo Lavia after launching a second and improved bid for his services on Thursday. The two clubs are likely to settle on a fee in the region of £45m, with talks now resuming over the structure of the deal.
Liverpool will then turn their focus elsewhere with at least one more midfielder sought this summer.
