Ajax captain Jordan Henderson leaves the club on a free transfer
Ajax captain Jordan Henderson is leaving the club on a free transfer. The English midfielder traveled to the club’s training camp in Zeist to say goodbye to his teammates and staff at the club. Henderson’s high salary was reportedly one of the reasons that both clubs felt the time had come for the 35-year-old to leave.
Henderson joined the club in January 2024. He was given the captaincy that summer. It is currently unclear where he will play his football after his departure from the club. Reports are linking him with a move back to his boyhood team, Sunderland.
“I would like to express my immense gratitude to everyone associated with Ajax for giving me the opportunity to represent this incredible institution over the past few years. To play for this club was an honour in itself. To have the privilege of captaining it was even more so,” Henderson said in a statement on the club’s website.
Henderson played 57 times for Ajax, but he leaves without having won a trophy, experiencing a catastrophic collapse during the Eredivisie campaign last season. The Amsterdammers were nine points ahead of the eventual champions PSV with just five games remaining, a lead that seemed insurmountable, only for Ajax to collapse in the remaining games with PSV becoming Eredivisie champions.
Henderson alluded to this disappointment in his statement, “My only regret is that we didn’t deliver more success for the amazing supporters. They deserve to be celebrating major titles again, and I’m sure that time will come soon."
The English midfielder, who won the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League as captain of Liverpool, was also close to leaving Ajax in January. This resulted in Henderson deciding not to be captain for the Europa League game against Galatasaray, before the move fell through.
The plan was for Henderson to join up with his teammates at a later stage due to the sudden passing of his former Liverpool teammate, Diogo Jota, last week. However, when Henderson arrived, it became clear that he had come to say goodbye.
"My family and I were made to feel so welcome, not just by the club but also in the wonderful city of Amsterdam. We will always be grateful for that. Due to the tragic events of last week, and the devastating loss of my former teammate Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, it doesn’t feel right at this moment to say or do more than share this brief statement. However, I am fully aware that I owe this club, my teammates, and the supporters a fuller and more personal thank you,” Henderson said.
