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Topics: Jordan Henderson, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Football
Marcus Chan
Topics: Jordan Henderson, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Pro League, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Football
The reason why Jordan Henderson could be struggling in Saudi Arabia has been revealed.
Back in the summer transfer window, Henderson decided to leave Liverpool to join up with Reds legend Steven Gerrard, who is the manager of Saudi Professional League side Al Ettifaq.
During his time at Anfield, Henderson won every major trophy possibly including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.
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Henderso was then joined at Al Ettifaq by the likes of Demarai Gray, Moussa Dembele and former Liverpool teammate Georginio Wijnaldum.
However, on Saturday afternoon, it was reported that Henderson wants to leave Saudi Arabia and return to the Premier League.
Henderson’s desire to leave Saudi Arabia could be down to the geographical location of his club, Al Ettifaq.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, it was revealed that Henderson’s former teammate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had offers to join Saudi Arabian clubs.
However, Oxlade-Chamberlain revealed that geography was one of the reasons why he rejected a move to the Middle East to sign for Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas.
The report states that Istanbul is a three-and-a-half-hour flight from London, whereas Riyadh is three hours more.
In addition, Henderson’s club, Al Ettifaq, which is based in Dammam, would take at least nine hours with a connecting flight.
Oxlade-Chamberlain said: “Six hours to Riyadh and then change (flight) and, if that’s my family visiting, that becomes a different experience.”
After Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup on Sunday evening, manager Jurgen Klopp was asked about a potential return to Anfield for Henderson.
Klopp told reporters during his post-match press conference: “Did Hendo have a press conference and say that? Ahh, it’s just written! That means for me it’s not existing.
“He didn’t call me! We spoke actually, but not about that. So really nothing to say about that.”