Al-Ettifaq’s club president appeared to aim a subtle dig at Jordan Henderson after his transfer from the Saudi Pro League side to Ajax was confirmed.
Henderson officially joined Ajax on Thursday night, signing a two-and-a-half year contract with the Dutch giants.
The transfer comes just six months after the former Liverpool captain controversially moved to Saudi Arabia, where he reunited with former teammate turned manager Steven Gerrard.
In order to secure his return to Europe, the 33-year-old agreed with Al-Ettifaq to terminate his contract, with the England star releasing this statement upon his departure:
‘I’d like to thank the club, the fans and all involved for the opportunity and wish them the best for the remainder of the season. A lot of hard work is going in which I know will pay off in the future.’
Al-Ettifaq were enduring a rotten run of form prior to the winter break, and were initially very reluctant to let Henderson go having been their marquee signing.
The midfielder was a key player for Gerrard, who, on the same day as Henderson’s exit, was handed a new two-year contract with the Saudi side.
In a statement, club president Samer Al Misehal initially thanked the player though later appeared to aim a parting shot regarding his ‘commitment’ to the club.
‘Firstly, the club would like to thank Jordan for his efforts and wish him the best for his future endeavours,’ he said.
‘We are always respectful of our players. The club and Jordan believe this quick decision, without any delay or further distraction, has been made for both the overall good of the club and for Jordan.
‘There is a lot still to play for. But this is a very tough league and the team performances required and expected by the club in the second half of the season under coach Steven Gerrard demand complete unity and commitment from all players and staff, and we look forward to regaining new momentum from this point forward through our winter training camp.
Henderson is the first major name to leave the Saudi Pro League side, and hasty departure has the potential to be quite embarrassing for the country after they spent around £750million last summer to recruit many big names to the Middle East.
‘This is all just part of football, all across the world and life, across all careers. Sometimes despite best efforts people don’t always adjust or settle and that can impact performances and lead to frustrations for all,’ Saudi Pro League vice-chairman Saad Allazeez said.
‘Jordan is a good guy and it’s a shame that things didn’t work out for him, but he’d be the first to admit that full support was given to him and respect shown. So everyone tried and no one is to blame.
‘Looking ahead we are very positive and expect more good players to come in. But, of course, some will move on too. That comes with being a top league, especially when you consider squads are capped.
‘So, we’d expect the flow of talent to go both ways. But overall, we are very happy at the progress and growth in just half a season. Firm foundations have been laid for future strength.’
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