Newly promoted Sunderland are reportedly considering an ambitious swoop to bring Jordan Henderson back to the Stadium of Light following their dramatic return to the Premier League.
Henderson began his career at the club and was in attendance at Wembley to see the Black Cats beat Sheffield United 2-1 in the Championship Play-off final. The 34-year-old made 79 appearances for Sunderland during his breakout spell with the club, scoring five times and registering 10 assists.
The Sunderland hierarchy is aware that Henderson is looking for a way out of Ajax this season and would be open to returning to the city where he was born.
The experienced midfielder, who played a pivotal role in helping Ajax secure Champions League qualification, narrowly missed out on domestic silverware with his side finishing second to PSV in the Eredivisie title race by just a single point.
With his contract set to expire next year, the Sunderland-born veteran is increasingly tipped for a transfer in the coming weeks.
The Englishman has also previously been linked with a move to Ligue 1 side AS Monaco and was rumoured to have tried to force his way out of Amsterdam. Although he denies this. Fabrizio Romano reports that there is also interest in Henderson from the Serie A, with Cesc Fabregas’s Como among those interested.
If Henderson makes a return to Sunderland, manager Régis Le Bris will face a crucial decision regarding the captaincy. The England international has led at all three of his previous clubs, but Sunderland’s current skipper, Luke O’Nien, remains a firm favourite among the fans.
Jordan Henderson: Captain Fantastic?
The Sunderland-born midfielder has enjoyed an illustrious career since departing the North-East in 2011 for £20 million to join Liverpool.
At the Reds, Henderson became the successor to club legend Steven Gerrard as Liverpool’s captain, despite nearly being sold to Fulham after his first season.
In nearly 500 appearances for Liverpool, Henderson lifted a host of trophies, including the Champions League in 2019 and the Reds’ first League title in 30 years in 2020.
His leadership and personality have often been complemented by those in the footballing world and have been among his best assets as a player. It is why he continues to receive England call-ups for new manager Thomas Tuchel, who calls him: “a natural leader” and “a standard setter”.
Sunderland will be hoping that he can bring these leadership traits to the Premier League once again if they are to avoid being relegated back to the Championship.