Jordan Henderson has had to take an enormous pay cut in order to bring his Saudi Arabia nightmare to an end.
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Henderson takes huge pay cut to join Ajax
Midfielder was earning £350,000 at Al-Ettifaq
Ex-Liverpool star lasted six months in Saudi Arabia
WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Liverpool captain signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Dutch giants Ajax this week, just six months after he left the Premier League for Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia. His decision has surely not been financially motivated; his contract in Saudi Arabia was worth a reported £350,000 per week, but in the Eredivisie he will earn less than a third of that.
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WHAT DRIESSEN SAID
During an appearance on Dutch television showVandaag Insideon Thursday evening, De Telegraaf journalist Valentine Driessen revealed: "At Ajax, Henderson will receive €4.5m (£3.86m) in salary per year, and €1.5m euros (£1.28m) in signing fees."
Not including the signing fee, Henderson will take home roughly £74,000 (94,000) per year in wages.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Henderson's decision to swap Liverpool for Saudi Arabia will surely go down as one of the worst-ever career decisions by an elite-level player. The midfielder and his family reportedly never settled in the Middle East, an issue Al-Ettifaq were sympathetic with. Henderson's reputation has taken a massive hit; he has long been an ally of the LGBTQI+ community, but he chose to play in a country where homosexuality is illegal as he wanted to try and help make the Saudi Pro League "one of the best in the world."
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Henderson may never receive the vast majority of his £350,000 Al-Ettifaq wages. The 33-year-old backloaded much of his salary to the end of his contract so that he could - reportedly - enjoy UK tax benefits when returning to the UK to play for England and visit family.
WHAT NEXT FOR HENDERSON?
Henderson will wipe the slate clean as he fights for a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad ahead of this summer's Euro 2024. He could make his Ajax debut this Sunday when they take on RKC Waalwijk at the Johan Cruyff Arena.