Following the summer signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, it didn’t take long for Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to be linked with an Anfield exit.
Now 33, the midfielder will find the competition for starting opportunities fiercer than ever in the season ahead, with it clear the England international is well beyond the halfway point of his Reds career.
Out of contract in the summer of 2025, the midfielder has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia this summer, with reports in recent days suggesting Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard wants to reunite with former Reds team-mate following his appointment at Al-Ettifaq.
Despite such speculation, Liverpool have received no expression of interest from the Saudi Pro club, nor been informed by the player of a desire to move elsewhere. But that hasn’t stopped tongues wagging at the prospect of the Reds captain moving on.
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A faction of the Liverpool fanbase have never been won over by Henderson, ever since his slow start to his Anfield career following his £20m move from Sunderland in 2011. Consequently, a vocal minority of fans wasted no time in excitedly running away with such transfer gossip.
Of course, that doesn’t paint a full picture. Plenty scoffed at the notion of the Reds captain departing, and to Saudi Arabia no less, well-aware of his importance on and off the pitch at Anfield. While he might be 33, Henderson very much still has a vital role to play in Jurgen Klopp’s squad, even if starting opportunities start to dwindle.
Having won everything there is to win with Liverpool, the midfielder would be well-within his rights to seek pastures new as he enters the twilight of his career, sourcing one final big pay-day before retirement rather than accepting increased substitute duty.
But while you couldn’t begrudge him from taking such a stance, that doesn’t sound like Henderson at all. The Reds captain is no quitter, and, like James Milner before him, could easily continue delivering for Liverpool, in whichever role that is asked of him, well into his thirties.
While he will always split debate and have his vocal critics, if you sidestep the views of those who would happily wave off Henderson to the Gulf State, the remaining supporters will be relieved to see the midfielder stay put on Merseyside.
And while Gerrard, the Reds’ greatest ever player, could well want to link back up with his former team-mate, which should tell you all you need to know about Henderson’s abilities in the first place, deep down, it never felt like a realistic prospect for the Liverpool captain.
Besides, he has already made it perfectly clear which direction he wishes the latter years of his career to take, showing no desire to step away from the highest level while he is still capable of delivering.
During last winter’s mid-season World Cup, ITV’s Gabriel Clarke put it to the midfielder that England’s exploits could well be his last showing on football’s biggest stage. Unsurprisingly, Henderson was rather dismissive of such a notion!
“Oh, wow! You chucking that out there, yeah?!” he laughed in disbelief. “I’ve seen a lot of 36 year olds play in World Cups so no reason why I couldn’t!”
While he would later provide a more diplomatic response, admitting he is taking nothing for granted and treats every World Cup like it could be his last, Henderson’s response made it pretty clear that he’s not ready to sun himself in semi-retirement just yet.
Admittedly, the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada could prove to be beyond the Liverpool midfielder. Considering England Under-21s have just won the Under-21s European Championships, a whole generation of talents are now coming for the veteran’s international place.
But Euro 2024 takes place in Germany at the end of the season, with Henderson his country’s vice-captain, behind Harry Kane, and still a key member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad. While he will turn 34 just days after the tournament starts, he has started three of the Three Lions’ four qualifiers, following on from starting three times at the World Cup - including both knockout games against Senegal and France.
Realistically, if the midfielder were to move to Saudi Arabia this summer, such a transfer would act as a death knell to his international career. He'll know this and, given he has his eyes on the 2026 World Cup, never mind Euro 2024, he is highly unlikely to be interested in such a move at this stage of his career.
Of course, things can change quickly in football. Fast forward 12 months, with a year left on his contract and his status in Klopp’s squad clearer following Liverpool’s midfield revamp, he could look to move on then.
But determined to lead the Reds back out of their transitional phase before representing his country at another European Championships, Henderson won’t have any interest in retreating from centre stage just yet.
