England midfielder Jordan Henderson is leaving the Saudi Pro League after six months with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.
Henderson, 33, had been looking for a way to leave Saudi Arabia for some time, according to reports, and has now reached an agreement to leave the Saudi club.
He looks to soon be a part of Ajax’s bid to clean up a season with an awful start, as the club has made its way from the depths of the Eredivisie table up to fifth.
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Ajax are 11 points adrift of the automatic UEFA Champions League spot and 23 points behind top-ranked PSV Eindhoven (17-0-0).
Long-time Liverpool player Henderson is reportedly set to join Ajax on an 18-month contract as he looks to keep his toes ahead of this summer’s EURO. He has 81 international caps with 3 goals for the Three Lions.
Henderson is one of a great number of European players who moved to the Saudi Pro League over the past year. He’s had to handle great consternation from home due to Saudi Arabia’s laws regarding homosexuality and his previous outspoken backing of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Ajax coach John van ‘t Schip (fun fact: born in Canada) is the interim coach at least until the end of the season. His team includes some former Premier League players, as well as Steven Berghuis, Chuba Akpom and club captain Steven Bergwijn. .
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