Jordan Henderson joins Ajax after leaving Saudi’s Al Ettifaq،
England midfielder Jordan Henderson has completed his move to Dutch giants Ajax just six months after signing for Saudi Arabia's Al Ettifaq.
Henderson has signed a 2.5 year contract with the Eredivisie club.
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Al Ettifaq announced that they had reached a mutual agreement to terminate Henderson's contract with immediate effect.
Henderson, 33, will take a huge cut in his Saudi salary – estimated to be at least £350,000 a week ($443,000).
“I would like to thank the club, the supporters and everyone involved for this opportunity and wish them the best for the remainder of the season,” Henderson said. “There’s a lot of hard work that I know will pay off in the future.”
Henderson joined Saudi Arabia last July on a three-year deal, ending his 12-year stay at Liverpool and reuniting with Al Ettifaq manager and former Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard.
Al Ettifaq are eighth in the Saudi Pro League after a series of poor results. However, following Henderson's departure, Al Ettifaq announced that Gerrard had signed a two-year contract extension until 2027.
Henderson faced initial fierce backlash over the decision given the country's poor human rights record, including laws that declare homosexuality illegal and punishable by death.
He was a strong advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community before his transfer and struggled to justify his decision in a September interview with The Athletic in which he insisted he wasn't motivated solely by money and that he relished the opportunity to make the Saudi league “one of the best in the world.”
While he continued to be selected by England manager Gareth Southgate during his time in Saudi Arabia, Henderson was booed by some of his country's supporters at Wembley Stadium.
After a difficult start to the season, Ajax currently occupies fifth place in the Eredivisie standings, 23 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.
“We were looking for an experienced midfielder with leadership qualities,” Ajax manager John van 't Schip said in a team statement. Partly because of injuries, we were also looking for someone who could be there immediately. Jordan Henderson is such a player.
“His arrival means a major gain in quality for our selection. A footballer of this caliber is important to the many young players, on and off the pitch. He is an England international and has won the Champions League and many others trophies with Liverpool. “I'm happy with his arrival and I think it's very good for our club that he's an Ajax player from today onwards. “
