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Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<ul><li>England international left Anfield in 2023</li><li>Already wants to leave the Middle East</li><li>Lucrative contract making deal difficult</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

Is Jordan Henderson’s wife driving desire to leave Saudi Arabia? One former Liverpool captain assesses why another wants out of Al-Ettifaq after six months

Saudi Pro League

Al-Ettifaq

Al Shabab

One former Liverpool captain <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/jordan-henderson-back-to-liverpool-jurgen-klopp-england-al-ettifaq-premier-league-transfer/bltb86973f280ac561e" target="_blank">moved to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023</a>, with a lucrative contract in the Middle East seeing him link up with ex-Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard. Henderson has found the going tough, with positive results in short supply, and the England international is said to <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/jordan-henderson-steven-gerrard-al-ettifaq-saudi-pro-league/blt144355f0973c3f7e" target="_blank">already be looking for a move elsewhere</a>.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Another former Liverpool skipper, Reds legend Souness, has told <a href="https://talksport.com/football/1703890/ " target="_blank">talkSPORT</a> of why Henderson is feeling restless: “He would have known about the climate in Saudi Arabia, and known he was going to a much inferior league given the Premier League is best one out there. I would imagine if they were top of the league and he was being well received as the player they thought they were getting, we would not be talking about this. I think it is a combination of him having a miserable time, and because the club has underachieved.”

WHAT SOUNESS SAID ABOUT HENDERSON

Souness added on the family issues that could be driving Henderson’s desire to leave Saudi Arabia: “Could I deal with the heat? Yes. Could I deal with losing every week? Yes. The one thing I could not take, was if my wife was not there, I would be like ‘I just can’t do this’. I am second guessing, but if she is still living in Cheshire somewhere, and that is what is driving it, that is a whole different argument. The other two I could deal with, I am not sure I could deal with my wife telling me I can’t live here.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Henderson is <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/shameless-jordan-henderson-saudi-pro-league-nightmare-leave-al-ettifaq-six-months/bltd97fac20a08a8c47" target="_blank">reportedly earning £350,000-a-week at Al-Ettifaq</a>, making it difficult for any loan move to be agreed. If he was to walk away from that contract, then there has been talk of the 33-year-old returning to England or <a href="https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/jordan-henderson-harry-kane-bayern-munich-seeks-january-exit-al-ettifaq/blt407ec45e50b233b8" target="_blank">heading to mainland Europe for a fresh start at Bayern Munich</a>, Bayer Leverkusen or Juventus.

WHAT NEXT FOR HENDERSON?

Is Jordan Henderson’s wife driving desire to leave Saudi Arabia? One former Liverpool captain assesses why another wants out of Al-Ettifaq after six months | Goal.com UK

Jordan Henderson wants out of Al-Ettifaq after six months, with Graeme Souness suggesting the midfielder’s wife may be influencing that transfer push.

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