The Eredivisie can become a ‘top-ten league in Western Europe’ if they can attract more ageing players on overinflated wages, says new Ajax signing Jordan Henderson.
After introducing football to Saudi Arabia, as well as solving several humanitarian crises during his six-month spell in the region, Henderson’s goal is to grow the sport in the Netherlands.
AL DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA – NOVEMBER 24: Jordan Henderson of Al Ettifaq reacts during the Saudi Pro League match between Al-Ettifaq and Al-Ittihad at Al Ettifaq Stadium on November 24, 2023 in Al Dammam, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images)
And Henderson’s arrival in Amsterdam is causing a huge stir with Ajax claiming they’ve already raked in 80 quid from shirt sales.
‘Apart from Johan Cruyff, Total Football, Van Basten’s volley in the Euro ’88 final, Ruud Gullit, Louis van Gaal’s Champions League winning Ajax side of ’95 and Dennis Bergkamp making a mug out of Nikos Dabizas, what have they done for us? Exactly. Nothing. It’s time Hendo put Dutch football on the map’, Henderson told Paddy Power News.
The 33-year-old has wasted no time in revolutionizing the game in Holland after instructing his new club to shut down their youth academy.
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‘Aside from the likes of the De Boers, Davids, Seedorf, Kluivert, Sneijder, Van der Vaart and countless other Champions League winners – I can’t think of a decent player it’s produced’, argued Henderson.
‘They want to shut that down and bring in a few overweight Brazilian mercenaries on obscene wages. That’s the future right there’.
‘I also want to launch a healthy eating initiative in Dutch schools. One kid told me they eat a lot of crepes in Holland. I asked him if he’d ever seen those bare-chested Newcastle fans at St James’ Park cos, they eat a lot of crepe too and you don’t wanna end up looking like that’.
‘It won’t be easy but in the six months or less I intend to stay here, I want to bring about the same levels of societal change and sporting development in Holland that I did in Saudi Arabia’.
Asked how he’d liked to be remembered for his stint in the Middle East, Henderson said:
‘Messiah might be too strong a word, although I do see some similarities between myself and Jesus, in that we did our best work there at the age of 33’.
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