"It hurt" - Liverpool star says he was asked to leave Anfield but it was an 'easy no' for him
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson recently revealed that he was asked to leave the club in 2012 so they could sign Clint Dempsey in a swap deal from Fulham. The current England international, however, refused to make the switch.
Brendan Rodgers was unveiled as the Reds' new manager in the summer of 2012, and the Northern Irishman wanted to sign Dempsey from the Cottagers.
The USA international, then 29 years old, registered 23 goals and eight assists in 46 club appearances in the previous season.
Henderson, meanwhile, joined the Reds from Sunderland in the summer of 2011. He scored twice and assisted four goals in 48 matches for the Anfield outfit in his debut season.
Speaking on Joe Cole's podcast on BT Sport (h/t HITC), the central midfielder said:
"It wasn’t a tough decision for me, but it hurt hearing it from a new manager when Brendan came in that it was a possibility that the club would do and wanted to do because they wanted to bring Clint Dempsey in at the time."
Henderson continued:
"It wasn’t difficult for me because I didn’t want to go. I’d only been there a year, I sacrificed a lot and gave everything to get to Liverpool and I felt like I had a lot more to give, so it was an easy no from me,” Henderson said.
Dempsey went on to join Tottenham Hotspur that summer and left the club after just one year to join MLS outfit Seattle Sounders. Henderson stayed at Anfield and is now the only Liverpool captain to have won the Premier League, Champions League, Club World Cup, EFL Cup, FA Cup, and the Super Cup.
Liverpool consider terminating Arthur Melo's loan deal - Reports
Liverpool signed Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo on a loan deal with an option to buy for €37.5 million on deadline day. The club were jolted into action after Jordan Henderson's hamstring injury in a 2-1 league win against Newcastle United on August 31.
However, it seems like the Reds are not sold on the idea of having the Brazil international in their squad for long. According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb (h/t Mirror), manager Jurgen Klopp has seen enough of the former Barcelona midfielder and doesn't want to keep him on board.
The Reds are considering terminating his loan deal if they find a suitable replacement for him in the upcoming January transfer window. Arthur has played for Liverpool just once so far - as a substitute in their 4-1 UEFA Champions League group stage defeat against Napoli.