By Alan Duffy
“Stamford Bridge, mate, and drop Raheem off at the Emirates on the way…”
It’s not been a fun few weeks for Liverpool fans, with the hullabaloo of Raheem Sterling’s future topped off with a hammering by Arsenal at the Emirates, a result which all but puts paid to the Red’s hope of a Champions League berth next season.
However, to add insult to injury, the Daily Star have put 2+2 together and come up with, er, quite a rumour in linking none other than Chelsea to Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson.
The Reds’ vice-captain has just a year left on his contract once this current season is over, making him ripe to tantalising offers from elsewhere.
The Star ‘understands’ that the 24-year-old former Sunderland man has already rejected a new £80,000 a week contract, implying that he may be looking for pastures new, better paid and with the promise of regular Champions League football.
On Match of the Day at the weekend, Alan Shearer alluded to the fragility of Henderson’s current position at Liverpool.
And if Sterling is turning down a £100,000 a-week deal, then you can understand why Henderson and his agent might be sniffy at an £80,000 per-week offer, although ’tis rather interesting that Henderson doesn’t seem to be the getting the kind of vitriol aimed at Sterling for his willingness to play hard-ball.
Make of that what you will!
Still, rate this one as 100%-rated speculation. And I’m not sure Henderson would even secure himself a spot in the Chelsea first-XI anyway. He is the man who would be king after all, with Stevie G waltzing off to America in the summer.
As for the bigger picture, after a season of poor transfer business and poor results, on wonders if Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool will ever live up to last season’s title-chasing heroics again?