Liverpool must block £40m offer for ‘outstanding’ key player as Jordan Henderson news spells potential trouble

The football world has been left stunned following the news that Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson could be on his way to Saudi Arabia before the Reds even get a chance to reassert themselves as a title-challenging force.

It started off as mere rumour mill chatter after Steven Gerrard became the new manager of Al Ettifaq and highlighted the midfielder as one of his top summer targets. Everyone can window shop, what’s the harm in that? Jurgen Klopp is planning a whole new squad makeover and everything’s going to be grand again, that’s what the general vibe was, anyway.

The idea of Henderson lifting another trophy next season seemed likely. The new signings had fans excited, emotions were positive, and belief was creeping back in as the Reds shifted up a gear on the road to resurrection. Except now, a huge mud puddle has splattered across the windscreen and made visibility murky again.

Gerrard has gone from adding a wishful thinking item to his online shopping basket, to hovering over the ‘pay now’ button at the checkout in the space of just a few days. The latest update on the situation, coming from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, says that Liverpool are asking for £10 million for their skipper, and negotiations are hanging on Henderson’s final decision. There’s a high chance the long-time serving veteran could be passing on the armband and bidding farewell to Anfield, out of nowhere, pretty much.

But it isn’t just the idea of losing Henderson that’s clouded the view ahead for Liverpool. The Saudi Pro League clubs are mercilessly cherry-picking some of the world’s best players in their bid to make the division more appealing. They’ve already acquired Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and N’Golo Kanté, to name just a few, and plenty of others remain on their radar. One of the latest, joining Henderson on the wish list, is Fabinho.

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, the midfielder is being monitored by Al Ittihad — the same club Benzema and Kanté are at — and a £40 million bid is expected to arrive at Liverpool’s door. Klopp did say he would be undergoing a hefty midfield restructure but it’s unlikely anyone expected that to include an almost full exodus of the current engine room personnel.

James Milner, Naby Keïta, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain have already left the club, Henderson is edging closer to the door, and now Fabinho is being tempted away as well. Let’s not forget the likelihood of Thiago staying longer than the upcoming season also seems low. The Spaniard’s contract expires next summer and reports have already claimed that Liverpool would be content with him running down his time on Merseyside and leaving as a free agent in 2024.

In this scenario, and assuming both Henderson and Fabinho will accept their respective new offers, Liverpool will have lost six experienced midfielders in the space of 12 months, including the club’s captain and vice-captain. Surely, they can’t afford for that to happen, in all senses of the phrase.

Henderson’s chances of starting regularly next season are slim now that Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai are on the scene, but his role is bigger than his appearances on the pitch. His leadership skills have been a key asset to the Reds since Gerrard left, and Henderson has been the man at the forefront of their recent success in the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup.

However, if it’s regular time on the pitch that he’s chasing, then Henderson’s exit seems inevitable - but Klopp must then ensure Fabinho stays locked in. The Reds have every intention to make a third midfield signing, and that could well be a new No.6 figure, but up until now, there was no expectation that it would be to immediately replace the Brazilian.

If Liverpool allow the seniority and experience of Milner, Henderson, and Fabinho leave in the same window, that’s going to cast a dark shadow over what was shaping up to be an extremely bright summer. The additions of Mac Allister and Szoboszlai will improve Liverpool’s creativity and the majority of fans will want to see both new signings start most matches next season, but they’ll need a senior figure behind them. If that’s not Henderson, it should be Fabinho.

While the 29-year-old definitely didn’t enjoy his strongest run in red last campaign, he has been an overall solid member of Klopp’s team, and a very reliable performer. Last season, Fabinho was the second most-utilised player for Liverpool, starting 40 of the total 52 games across all competitions.

Klopp is a huge fan of his, too. After calling on him to fill in at centre-back a few years ago, the manager was pull of praise for his work ethic and ability to adapt.

"Obviously Fab is, I wouldn’t even say a defensive-oriented player, rather organisational-oriented player so he’s very strategic,” Klopp said. “He just is able to do that, you can see that in different situations that his challenging skills are just outstanding, defensively.”

There is no immediate replacement for him either. While Stefan Bajcetic definitely possesses something to get excited about, he’s had very little time to prove himself and expecting him to take over Fabinho’s role after coming back off an injury at just 19 years of age is a very tall ask. Not only would it be potentially detrimental to the team on paper, but losing so many key players could heavily impact the dressing room as well.

Right now, emotions are flying high around Anfield as a fairly smug transfer window has turned sour in a very short space of time. It’s one thing buying star players and convincing them to join the club, but it’s a whole different game to convince existing players to stay and commit to the cause. If both Liverpool and Fabinho reject the Saudi offers and he stays at Anfield, it will be a huge statement for the club and their upcoming mission.

It will be an even bigger statement if Henderson, a man who has been a vocal and active ally for the LGBTQ+ community and women’s football for so long, declines a move to the Middle East. If it boils down to money over morals, Liverpool fans know exactly what they want their skipper to choose.