Jordan Henderson faces £7MILLION tax bill if he returns to the Premier League from Saudi Arabia... with the ex-Liverpool man keen for a return to England after struggling to settle after £700,000-per-week move
- Henderson would pay a 45 per cent chop on his earnings from Saudi Arabia
- The ex-Liverpool man has struggled to settle at Al-Ettifaq for numerous reasons
- How much humble pie can Jordan Henderson possibly eat? It's All Kicking Off
Jordan Henderson would face a £7million tax hit if he returned to the Premier League as he intends.
The former Liverpool captain is agitating for a move back to England after struggling to settle at Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in Saudi Arabia, Mail Sport reported on Sunday.
Henderson told his team-mates he is considering his options and it is understood that backlash from the LGBTQ+ community, a different lifestyle and conditions, and Al-Ettifaq's uninspiring season are factors in his discontent.
Current UK tax laws dictate that those who leave to work abroad must pay a 45 per cent slice on what they earned if they return before a year has passed.
Henderson is understood to be earning £700,000 per week and so would face a mammoth £7m blow to his finances if he returned to the Premier League in January.
![Jordan Henderson would face a £7million tax bill if he returned to the Premier League](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/08/09/79690251-12937891-Jordan_Henderson_is_already_considering_leaving_Saudi_Arabia_six-a-57_1704704947518.jpg)
Jordan Henderson would face a £7million tax bill if he returned to the Premier League
![Mail Sport understands that the 33-year-old is unsettled at Al-Ettifaq despite earning £700,000 per week](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/08/09/79740667-12937891-image-a-59_1704705100845.jpg)
Mail Sport understands that the 33-year-old is unsettled at Al-Ettifaq despite earning £700,000 per week
The tax-free element of his pay packet only applies if he stays in Saudi Arabia for two years and the country has a flat income tax rate of 20 per cent.
His stint in Saudi Arabia so far has not quite gone to plan after a £12m exit from Liverpool.
The 33-year-old insisted that he did not move to Al-Ettifaq for money, but with Steven Gerrard's side sitting eighth in the table, immediate sporting glory looks far-fetched.
Manager Gerrard has come under pressure after a winless run of eight games stretching back to December and his assistant, Ian Foster, resigned last week to become Plymouth Argyle's manager in another sign of diusruption at the club.
Gerrard and Foster, who began his coaching career at Liverpool's Academy and previously worked at the FA, were both instrumental in persuading Henderson to move to Saudi last summer.
Henderson, who vocally supported LGBTQ+ groups during his time an Anfield, has faced lots of heat from a community who once considered him an ally.
A Liverpool LGBT fan group said they were 'appalled' even when he was just considering a move and he has faced protests from England supporters, being booed off against Australia in October.
Henderson said after he moved: 'All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone.'
His discontent is such that he would consider taking a major pay-cut and writing off millions in tax if he receives a tempting offer from the Premier League, although with many clubs struggling to comply with the top flight's spending restrictions he would have to take a significant pay cut.
![The midfielder has struggled with the backlash he has faced from the LGBT community alongside other factors](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/08/09/78145471-12937891-Henderson_had_been_vocal_in_his_support_of_the_rainbow_laces_cam-a-61_1704705243237.jpg)
The midfielder has struggled with the backlash he has faced from the LGBT community alongside other factors
![Steven Gerrard and assistant Ian Foster (left) were instrumental in bringing Henderson to Al-Ettifaq, but the latter has left an the former is under mounting pressure](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/08/09/79685501-12937891-Steven_Gerrard_is_under_mounting_pressure_and_he_suffered_anothe-a-60_1704705208576.jpg)
Steven Gerrard and assistant Ian Foster (left) were instrumental in bringing Henderson to Al-Ettifaq, but the latter has left an the former is under mounting pressure
![Jurgen Klopp insisted he had 'nothing to say' about talk of Henderson returning to the Premier League](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01/08/09/79740893-12937891-image-a-62_1704705488399.jpg)
Jurgen Klopp insisted he had 'nothing to say' about talk of Henderson returning to the Premier League
Crystal Palace, Fulham and Newcastle are in the market for central midfielders this month, although with many clubs struggling to comply with the top flight's spending restrictions he would have to take a significant pay cut.
Chelsea are also reportedly on 'high alert', as written in Mail Sport's transfer gossip column and originally reported by the Sun.
Jurgen Klopp was asked if the midfielder could return to the club with whom he lifted the Premier League and Champions League.
He said: 'Did Hendo have a press conference and say that? It is just written. That means for me it is not existing. He did not call me. We spoke actually, but not about that. Really nothing to say about that.'