“We don’t talk about names” - Mauricio Pochettino responds when asked if Chelsea could sign Liverpool legend
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino responded when asked whether the Blues could bring Liverpool legend Jordan Henderson back to the Premier League. Henderson was one of the high-profile players to move to Saudi Arabia last summer but is understood to be reconsidering his future in the Middle East.
According to The Daily Mail, the former Liverpool captain is desperate to move back to England after a disappointing six-month spell with Al-Ettifaq. The Damman-based side are nine games without a win dating back to October, with manager Steven Gerrard's future also up in the air.
It has been claimed that Henderson has struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia because of the heat and humidity of the playing conditions. The England international is also believed to be unhappy with Al Ettifaq's average attendance of 7,800 in a 35,000-capacity stadium.
With Henderson potentially on his way back to the Premier League, the Chelsea manager was questioned regarding his interest in the former Premier League winner. The Blues boss was asked, as quoted by PYS X (formerly Twitter) channel:
"Jordan Henderson wants to come back to the Premier League, one for Chelsea?"
He gave a straightforward reply that he wouldn't mention names in his press conference. However, he insisted that the West London club are focusing on players like Andrey Santos, which possibly indicates their focus on young players. Pochettino replied:
“We didn't talk about names. At the moment we are not talking about players. I saw Behdad, with Paul and Laurence. I think tomorrow we are going to have a chat. We didn't talk about names or players. For now we are focusing on players like Andrey Santos."
Henderson left Liverpool to join Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq in a reported £12 million deal following his 12-year stint at Anfield. He has made 19 appearances for Faris Ad-Dahna so far contributing with five assists.
Jose Enrique has claimed that former Chelsea and Liverpool striker is better than Darwin Nunez
Former Liverpool left-back Jose Enrique has lavished praise on in-form Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke. The Spaniard also claimed that the former Chelsea academy graduate would start for Jurgen Klopp's side ahead of Darwin Nunez.
While naming his Team of the Season, Enrique picked Solanke up front, labelling him as a 'complete striker.' Speaking to Grosvenor Sport, Enrique said, as quoted by Express Sport:
“Mohamed Salah is an obvious pick on the right wing and he has been unbelievable again, but one former Liverpool player who I would put in attack is Dominic Solanke."
The Spaniard added:
“He is having a great season and I actually believe that he would start for Liverpool right now because he has been unbelievable. He’s good in the air, strong, quick, he keeps the ball well and he’s a great finisher – he is a complete striker.”
Solanke came through Chelsea's youth ranks. After failing to break into the Blues' senior side, he joined Jurgen Klopp at Anfield in 2017. However, he could never really live up to expectations with the Reds either.
The England international is finally doing justice to his immense potential, having scored 12 Premier League goals in 19 games. He is only behind Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.