Sunderland have reportedly been considering a sensational return for former academy gem Jordan Henderson, who now plays at Ajax. Rumours were hot last year and they could be again later in 2025.
Jordan Henderson is a credit to the Sunderland academy, and it looks like his emergence in world football has kickstarted another generation of young Sunderland talents.
Chris Rigg is breaking through and so too is Tommy Watson, following on from the likes of Dan Neil and Anthony Patterson who’ve burst onto the scene in the last few years.
Henderson is now playing in the Eredivisie at Ajax. He moved there in 2024 after a brief spell in Saudi Arabia with Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq, and he’s been somewhat in headlines since.
There was reports that Henderson could leave Ajax because he was unhappy with his role in the side, though that rumour was later debunked. Sunderland were linked with a move for Henderson going into this January transfer window, though that possibility quickly went cold too.
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Jordan Henderson sees move from Ajax to Monaco fall through
Going into deadline day on Monday, it was revealed that Monaco were trying to sign Henderson from Ajax. It looked like an exciting potential move for Henderson, but it was yet another short-lived possibility after the move fell through.
Journalist David Ornstein revealed on X on Friday night that Henderson to Monaco was off. The 34-year-old held talks with the Ajax chiefs and has decided to remain with the club and battle for silverware tis season. Ajax are currently in 2nd place of the Dutch top flight and remain in the Europa League, too.
Henderson remains under contract at Ajax until 2026. His future beyond or even before that seems uncertain, it appears.
What does the summer hold for former Sunderland man Jordan Henderson?
Speaking in December, Henderson played down a move to Sunderland but insisted that it remains ‘my club’. It’s clear there’s still a connection between the two and so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he returns one day.
But there seems to be two things that need to happen first: Sunderland need to get promoted and Ajax and Henderson need to change their mind about each other.
The latter point could become more plausible in the summer with Ajax keen to shed weight off the wage bill: that was made clear when they were trying to offload Chuba Akpom, who’s set to join Lille on loan.
Per reports, Henderson earns £74k-a-week at Ajax. He’s undoubtedly one of the highest-paid players at the club, if not the highest-paid player, so come the summer when Ajax have or haven’t won anything, expect another round of speculation about Henderson’s future at the club.
Sunderland being promoted and Henderson returning could be a dream scenario.