Henderson ‘has not earned a penny’ in Saudi Arabia with transfer ‘U-turn’ set to ‘cost him millions’
Jordan Henderson may not earn a single penny from Al Ettifaq after agreeing to leave Saudi Arabia six months after his controversial transfer.
The England midfielder left Liverpool in the summer transfer to secure a huge pay packet in the Middle East.
Henderson was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.
After he was booed off the pitch at Wembley during England’s friendly against Australia in October, Henderson apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.
The 33-year-old is now closing in on a surprise move to Dutch giants Ajax after Al Ettifaq agreed to rip up his contract.
It is widely accepted that Henderson joined Al Ettifaq for the money but the Telegraph has reported that the former Liverpool captain deferred all of his wages to avoid UK tax.
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It has been revealed that Henderson ‘has not earned a penny’ from the Saudi Arabian club ‘having deferred salary payments’.
Having agreed to a ‘mutual termination’ of his three-year contract to secure a January switch to Ajax, the midfielder’s ‘U-turn is set to cost him millions’.
He won’t be bothered, though; he didn’t move for the money. The £350,000-a-week contract was irrelevant in negotiations.
While Henderson’s deferral is not clear, the Telegraph believes it is ‘so that he could return to Britain to play for England in the short term, unrestricted by the time limitations placed on those without UK taxpayer status’.
This decision has cost Henderson his Al Ettifaq salary and ‘it is quite possible’ that he will not see any of it as ‘sources close to the player say that the expectation is that he will not be paid for the six months he spent in the Saudi Pro League’.
His great great great great granddaughter will be gutted when she finds out.
The Saudis ‘do not hold a grudge against’ Henderson after he pushed for an exit due to being ‘unhappy’ in the city of Dammam on the Gulf coast.
Clubs in Saudi Arabia may be reluctant to pursue English players as a result of Henderson’s U-turn, though, it is added.
On the contrary, sources in the Middle East believe the Henderson debacle is just ‘small teething problems’ in their bid to take over the world of football, ‘reacting with horror’ at the suggestion English players will be ignored in the transfer market.
The player’s move to Saudi Arabia did not deter England manager Gareth Southgate from calling him up for the Three Lions.
If that move did his England prospects no harm, neither will one to Ajax, surely?
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