‘Changes his legacy’ Sky Sports reporter blasts Liverpool star’s proposed Saudi Arabia move

Jordan Henderson has been heavily criticised by Sky Sports reporter Melissa Reddy as news broke yesterday that he is close to completing a move to the Saudi Arabian Pro League.

Henderson was sought out by former Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, who was recently appointed as the manager for Al-Ettifaq and the move has progressed quickly over the last week.

Having made an offer to quadruple his current wages, personal terms were quickly agreed for the 33-year-old and the latest report from transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the two clubs have reached an agreement in principle on the fee and a three-year-deal is set to be completed soon.

Following the release of the news last week, Henderson has been accused of being a hypocrite as he had previously been a vocal ally of the LGBT community in football, as well as leading the Rainbow Laces campaign for Euro 2020.

He will now play the sport in a Gulf state where homosexuality is punishable by death.

Reddy spoke out on Sky Sports News on the move and outlined how his reputation could be damanged by moving to Saudi Arabia.

“So many things that just jar when it comes to this move. Henderson will expect the criticism, he’ll know it’s coming. He would have thought long and hard about all of this. And I don’t think there’s anything he can say or do to stop people from feeling betrayed, from feeling like at the first chance where he had to make a real stand and he’s folded.

“There might be some who will say this money changes his life. It doesn’t. He’s already got a lot of money. What it does do is it changes his legacy.”

Henderson was also criticised by 3LionsPride, a fan group for LGBT England supporters, who said it was “beyond disappointed” after the deal was reached.

The group said in a statement: “Our joy for Mr Henderson when he scored against Ukraine in the Euros (quarter-final) was, in part, due to his kindness and his ‘lucky’ rainbow laces. A banner was created to commemorate the low bar he had achieved in being outspoken on our right to support England and show visibility on the pitch.

“If the rumours are true, then that banner will be consigned to the depths of history.”