With the skipper Jordan Henderson leaving, many reports have shown that there is more to his move than just money that the Saudi club are offering.
Liverpool are in the process of rebuilding a midfield that was unquestionably their biggest weakness last season.
After a lot of players left the club, the Reds have responded by signing Mac Allister and Szoboszlai.
Moreover, as per multiple reports, the Reds have agreed personal terms with another midfielder. The player is said to be favouring Liverpool over Arsenal and Chelsea.
However, potentially a fourth midfield arrival may be required if Jordan Henderson and Fabinho complete moves to Al Ettifaq and Al Ittihad respectively.
Regarding Henderson, Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq have struck an agreement worth £12m prior to add-ons to sign the 33-year-old.
Henderson has said his goodbyes to Liverpool teammates
According to Daily Mail, the deal will be through a ‘structured timeline of payment’, rather than Liverpool receiving the full fee upfront.
In any case, Henderson has agreed on a three-year deal worth an eye-watering £700,000-a-week. The England international passed a medical on Friday and reports state he has now ‘said his goodbyes’ to those at Anfield.
Henderson is in line for a colossal pay rise in the autumn of his career. However, per reports, there’s more than meets the eye with regard to why Henderson is leaving.
Indeed, the outlet state Henderson is set to leave Anfield after talks with Jurgen Klopp.
The subject of the discussions reportedly centered around how much playing time he’d receive next year, along with his future role within the team.
Henderson is described as speaking ‘at length’ with Klopp on the matter.
Henderson primarily operated in one of the two box-to-box midfield roles on either side of Fabinho. However, those are the exact positions Mac Allister and Szoboszlai have been signed to fill.
Moreover, Henderson lost his place as a regular starter in the second half of last season and that was before Szoboszlai and Mac Allister arrived.
As such, it stands to reason his minutes would’ve been in even shorter supply next term.
Another spanner in the works is the fact Trent Alexander-Arnold has been fielded in midfield at times during pre-season.
Trent was deployed as a hybrid right-back and midfielder late last season. But he was lined up in the midfield from the start of their pre-season game.
Clearly, Henderson’s importance to Liverpool from a playing perspective has diminished. And that, as much as the money, is why he made a move to Saudi Arabia.
I’m a football enthusiast and an avid writer and someone who lives by the Bill Shankly quote, on a day to day basis.
