Revealed: Jordan Henderson's Ajax wages as ex-Liverpool midfielder forced to accept HUGE pay cut to end miserable Al-Ettifaq spell

jan 5, 2026 #Futebol

Jordan Henderson has had to take an enormous pay cut in order to bring his Saudi Arabia nightmare to an end.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

The former Liverpool captain signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Dutch giants Ajax this week, just six months after he left the Premier League for Al-Ettifaq of Saudi Arabia. His decision has surely not been financially motivated; his contract in Saudi Arabia was worth a reported £350,000 per week, but in the Eredivisie he will earn less than a third of that.

WHAT DRIESSEN SAID

During an appearance on Dutch television showVandaag Insideon Thursday evening, De Telegraaf journalist Valentine Driessen revealed: "At Ajax, Henderson will receive €4.5m (£3.86m) in salary per year, and €1.5m euros (£1.28m) in signing fees."

Not including the signing fee, Henderson will take home roughly £74,000 (94,000) per year in wages.
THE BIGGER PICTURE

Henderson's decision to swap Liverpool for Saudi Arabia will surely go down as one of the worst-ever career decisions by an elite-level player. The midfielder and his family reportedly never settled in the Middle East, an issue Al-Ettifaq were sympathetic with. Henderson's reputation has taken a massive hit; he has long been an ally of the LGBTQI+ community, but he chose to play in a country where homosexuality is illegal as he wanted to try and help make the Saudi Pro League "one of the best in the world."
(C)Getty Images

DID YOU KNOW?

Henderson may never receive the vast majority of his £350,000 Al-Ettifaq wages. The 33-year-old backloaded much of his salary to the end of his contract so that he could – reportedly – enjoy UK tax benefits when returning to the UK to play for England and visit family.