‘At no point did I feel wanted’ – Jordan Henderson breaks silence on Liverpool exit
Jordan Henderson has lifted the lid on his controversial summer exit from Liverpool – admitting he felt undervalued at Anfield as the club embarked on a summer rebuild.
The 33-year-old left Liverpool in July after 12 years of service as he joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. It was a move that saw him link up with former Reds team-mate Steven Gerrard, who has taken over Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson, who was named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming international friendlies against Ukraine and Scotland, said he had “alarm bells ringing” about his shifting status at Anfield as he returned to pre-season after chats with manager Jurgen Klopp.
“There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing,” admitted Henderson. “I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me.
“I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming into my position.
“And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long. Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up. And then there was an approach from Al-Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there.
“The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no. At that moment I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that.
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“If one of those people said to me, ‘Now we want you to stay’, then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career. Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.
“I’m at the latter stage of my career and I want to be happy playing football. I want to play. I don’t want to be sitting on the bench and coming on for 10 minutes in games. And I knew that would affect my chances of playing for England.”
Pressed on his motivations behind the move to the Saudi Pro League, which has seen the likes of Neymar Jr. and Karim Benzema also join this summer, Henderson insisted the project at Al-Ettifaq made him feel valued – and not because of the reported wages of £700,000 that he would be taking home in the Gulf state.
“That was the hardest thing. People will see this club come with loads of money and he’s just gone, ‘Yeah, I’m going’. When in reality that just wasn’t the case at all,” added Henderson to The Athletic. “People can believe me or not, but in my life and my career, money has never been a motivation. Ever.
“Don’t get me wrong, when you move, the business deal has to be tight. You have to have financials, you have to feel wanted, and you have to feel valued. And money is a part of that. But that wasn’t the sole reason. And these possibilities came up before money was even mentioned.
“No, honestly, the numbers just aren’t true. But again, it had to work out for us financially as well. I’m not saying that it didn’t and I’m not saying, ‘Oh, I’m not on good money’, because it’s good money and it was a good deal but it wasn’t the numbers that were reported. No.”
‘At no point did I feel wanted’ – Jordan Henderson breaks silence on Liverpool exit