Liverpool’s first pre-season match was overshadowed by the news that a fee has been accepted for Jordan Henderson, and Jurgen Klopp has explained it was his decision to leave out his captain.
The focus ought to be firmly on the preparations for the season to come, but Klopp is seemingly just days away from losing two of his most experienced midfielders.
Fabinho is nearing a £40 million switch and Henderson is edging closer to joining Steven Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq for £12 million, plus add ons.
The captain was left out of the squad that faced Karlsruher on Wednesday and with no official post-match press conference, a word from Klopp on the matter appeared unlikely.
However, Merseyside press in Germany did ask the question and Klopp expertly tiptoed around it, as you’d expect.
Though he did explain the decision to keep his captain out of the squad was his.
“In the end, all of these decisions are made by me,” the boss explained.
“And because I respect the players a lot, it’s usually [with their] consent. It was in this case, and it is all fine.”
Speaking about Henderson and Fabinho‘s moves, the boss said: “There’s actually nothing to say.
“As long as things are not really finally decided, we don’t have to talk about it. There will be a moment where we probably have to talk about it, but it’s not now.
“I don’t know that anything is decided, which means nothing to say in the moment. But that’s even better for you because you can speculate, which is much more fun! If I say something then it’s finished.”
Henderson’s looming transfer has divided fan opinion, namely the hypocrisy that comes with moving to a region where homosexuality is illegal after years of championing and being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community.
He is well within his rights to want to move on knowing game time will be limited at Liverpool, and the club are right to cash in for the 33-year-old, but it is a legacy chancing transfer, no doubt.
This all sets up a busy few weeks ahead for the club as they not only bid farewell to two midfield servants but also explore the transfer window for their replacements.
