Saudi Pro League CEO Saad Allazeez has spoken to mitigate the significance of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson\u2019s hasty departure from Al-Ettifaq to join Ajax after just six months in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on Henderson’s departure, Allazeez said: \u201cThis is all just part of football, all across the world and life, across all careers. Sometimes, despite best efforts, people don\u2019t always adjust or settle and that can impact performances and lead to frustrations for all.<\/p>\n
\u201cJordan is a good guy and it\u2019s a shame that things didn\u2019t work out for him, but he\u2019d be the first to admit that full support was given to him and respect shown. So everyone tried and no one is to blame.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pleased the club acted fast as they have to protect their own interests as well as the player and this instance, this is all for the best. Since their financial conditions for cancelling the contract were agreed, they can now make full use of the winter break and transfer window\u00a0to reset and go again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Henderson\u2019s move to Ajax was confirmed on Thursday evening after he agreed to terminate his Al-Ettifaq contract\u00a0earlier this week. The awkward hasty exit is due to the former Liverpool skipper and his family not being able to settle down in the Middle Eastern nation. However, Allazeez sees this as an isolated incident rather than a recurring issue for new players moving to the league.<\/p>\n
splashed the cash over the past 12 months, enticing superstars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar to leave Europe behind.<\/p>\n
Mail Sport revealed last week that the Saudi Pro League have opted to increase the number of overseas players permitted to play for each team\u00a0as they\u2019e targetting the best young talent from across the globe.<\/p>\n
Allazeez has hailed the progress made in recent months by the Saudi Pro League to bring in top players despite so unexpectedly losing Henderson only months after he joined the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a league we have the strength and depth to move forward. In fact, despite it being early days under our new strategy we have never been in a stronger position,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo far in only five months, we\u2019ve had more goals so become more entertaining, with more fans attending matches and watching in over 160 countries worldwide.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve become a younger league, more international and more attractive with commercial revenue up over 650% and new global partners. So, everything is trending in the right direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, we\u2019d 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
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