England midfielder Jordan Henderson has arrived in Amsterdam to finalise his move from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq to Ajax.

The 33-year-old former Liverpool captain was pictured arriving at Schiphol Airport and then being driven away by the club’s general manager Herman Pinkster.

Henderson is expected to have a medical before formalising the terms on what is reported to be a two-and-a-half-year deal, although he will take a substantial cut from his reported £350,000-a-week wages in Saudi Arabia.

However, he is unlikely to be able to feature against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday as reports suggest, as a non-EU national, Henderson’s work permit is likely to take up to two weeks to be granted.

Henderson signed for Al-Ettifaq in a lucrative but controversial move last summer as he was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.

He subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal, but was booed off the pitch at Wembley during an England friendly against Australia in October.

 

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Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table, having recovered from a poor start to the new domestic campaign which saw head coach Maurice Steijn depart after just 11 games in charge.

While Henderson is leaving Saudi Arabia, his former Liverpool team-mate and Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard is set to extend his stay.

The ex-Reds captain appeared to be under pressure with the side eighth and without a win in eight games but has reportedly agreed a two-year contract extension which could keep him at the club until 2027.

England midfielder Jordan Henderson appears set to travel to Amsterdam on Thursday to finalise his move from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq and join Ajax, according to reports.

Former Liverpool captain Henderson, 33, signed for Al-Ettifaq in a lucrative but controversial move last summer.

Henderson was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.

He subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal, but was booed off the pitch at Wembley during a friendly against Australia in October.

Having reportedly reached an agreement with Al-Ettifaq to terminate his contract, Henderson is expected to sign an initial 18-month deal at the Dutch giants, with an option for a further year’s extension.

Henderson is expected to have a medical and formalise the terms of his deal when he arrives in the Netherland on Thursday, but looks set to take a substantial wage cut from his reported £350,000-a-week package in Saudi Arabia.

Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table, having recovered from a poor start to the new domestic campaign which saw head coach Maurice Steijn depart after just 11 games in charge.

If Henderson’s deal can be completed in time, with international clearance and the relevant visa, then the England midfielder could be involved against RKC Waalwijk on Sunday.

England midfielder Jordan Henderson looks set to leave Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq and join Ajax, according to reports.

Former Liverpool captain Henderson, 33, signed for Al-Ettifaq in a lucrative but controversial move last summer.

Henderson was a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield.

After he was booed off the pitch at Wembley during a friendly against Australia in October, Henderson subsequently apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal.

Dutch media report Henderson is set to head to Amsterdam to finalise a move to Ajax, having reached an agreement with Al-Ettifaq to terminate his contract.

Henderson is expected to sign an 18-month deal with the Dutch giants.

Ajax are fifth in the Eredivisie table, having recovered from a poor start to the new domestic campaign which saw head coach Maurice Steijn depart after just 11 games in charge.

Roberto De Zerbi admitted he is worried about Brighton’s growing injury problems after they took control of their Europa League destiny with a commanding 2-0 win away to Ajax.

Goals either side of half-time from Ansu Fati and Simon Adingra sealed victory in the Johan Cruyff Arena against the Dutch giants, who despite a change of manager showed little more ambition than they had in losing at the Amex Stadium two weeks previously.

But the result was marred by the loss of three players to injury as Lewis Dunk, James Milner and the returning Pervis Estupinan were all forced off.

De Zerbi has previously spoken of the toll that a first season in Europe has taken on his squad, with a hectic schedule having put pressure on a relatively small pool as the absentee list has lengthened.

Estupinan, who has already missed much of the campaign, left the field just 12 minutes after making his return as a substitute in the second half, with Milner also having gone off in the eighth minute.

Captain Dunk was withdrawn at half-time after pulling up with what looked like a groin problem, though the manager said he suspected it was not a serious concern.

Still, De Zerbi emphasised the havoc that injuries continue to wreak on his team.

“I’m very worried but it’s a problem we are fighting in this moment,” he said. “We have a lot of injuries, especially in the full-back position. For that we have to find another solution. We play Sunday another crucial game (against Sheffield United) for us and we want to win.

“I don’t know (about Dunk) at the moment. I think it’s not a big problem, but he’s played so many games in a row. We have to understand better the (injury).”

Despite the injuries, Brighton were able to celebrate yet another landmark under De Zerbi as they won for the first time away from home in Europe.

There were particularly fine displays in attack from goalscorers Fati and Adingra, whilst Evan Ferguson and Joao Pedro – the Europa League’s joint-top scorer at start of play with four – also impressed.

“I’m really delighted for the result, for the performance, for our fans,” said De Zerbi. “They were incredible and we are very happy because we made them happy.

“We have three top players – Ansu Fati, Joao Pedro and Evan Ferguson. We expect always a great job in ball possession, in the last 20 metres. But they are very young.

“Today I’m very happy for the performance of Joao. He fought 90 minutes. He didn’t score but he played a great game.

“I’m satisfied but I expect always more and more. For Ansu, he played very well in the first half but after the second goal I think he could play better. He could score the third goal.”

Jan Vertonghen believes Ajax have started to take steps towards a much-needed rebuild, though concedes things may get worse before they improve.

The 36-time Dutch champions have made an awful start to 2023-24, taking eight points from their first nine games of the Eredivisie season to sit 15th ahead of Sunday's meeting with Heerenveen.   

Maurice Steijn left his role as head coach by mutual consent with the club mired in 17th place last week, just four months after he joined from Sparta Rotterdam on a three-year deal.

Hedwiges Maduro then took charge as Ajax made unwanted history against PSV last Sunday, suffering a fifth successive Eredivisie defeat for the first time in their history as they were routed 5-2.

Ajax responded by appointing former winger John van 't Schip as interim coach this week, and his first game in charge resulted in a 2-0 win over FC Volendam on Thursday.

New boss Van 't Schip represented the club for 11 years as a player between 1981 and 1992, before returning as Marco van Basten's assistant coach in 2008.

While Vertonghen – who began his career with Ajax before leaving for Tottenham in 2012 – knows his old club have a long road ahead of them, he believes they have the right structure in place to bounce back.

"It hurts. Obviously, [Ajax] can't win the league every year, but where they are now is not good," Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform.

"It was bad on every level, but sometimes you have to hit lows to get back up. I think they're getting the structure back right. 

"Obviously, they've given a lot of power to someone who wasn't familiar with the culture at Ajax [Steijn]. In three or four months, a lot of damage was done. 

"Where they are now doesn't reflect the quality of the squad at all. Bringing in 13 or 14 new players and a new coach, it takes time, and at Ajax you don't get that time. You need to perform. Being second is not good enough. 

"They've got some people back at the club with Ajax in their heart, who want the best for Ajax. So, yeah, it will take a while, and hopefully they can get into Europe this year."

Vertonghen moved to his homeland to represent Anderlecht last September, but he endured a dismal first campaign with the 34-time Belgian champions, who finished 11th in the Pro League.

However, Anderlecht have bounced back under Brian Riemer this campaign, sitting second in the table ahead of back-to-back away games against title rivals Cercle Brugge and Gent.

Asked about Anderlecht's upturn, Vertonghen said: "Last year was a very, very bad and disappointing season, but we had a very good transfer window. 

"We made great signings, people that didn't really fit in left, and we brought in some young guys and experienced players; Kasper Schmeichel, for example, guys who want to win. 

"That's what we need. The atmosphere in the team is great. We have a very, very strong squad of 20 to 25 players. In Belgium, it works with a play-off system. If you get into the top six, you go through to the championship play-off, and that's our ambition: to be in that top six. 

"Whoever's in the top six can be champions. It's important for all the teams who have the ambition to achieve the highest things to be in that top six. 

"There are eight or nine teams fighting for that top six, and then we'll see. At the moment, we're second but still only a couple of points from seventh, so now we have two massive games.

"It's massive for us, two away games as well, so if you lose those two games, you can be seventh. That's how close it is, so we have to get at least four points out of those two games."

Brighton enjoyed a comprehensive first victory in Europe as a goal in either half from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati eased them to a 2-0 win against Ajax at the Amex Stadium.

It took until the final minutes of a first half that Brighton had dominated for the breakthrough to arrive, Pedro tapping home on the rebound, as Ajax – second-bottom of the Eredivisie – did little more than look to preserve parity in the Europa League clash.

The Dutch side have endured their worst start to a league season and, after sacking manager Maurice Steijn on Monday, they went down with barely a whimper as Fati’s goal early in the second half showed the gulf between Roberto De Zerbi’s team and the four-time European champions.

It was a first half that Brighton controlled but were for the most part frustrated by an organised, obdurate Ajax. Pedro wanted a penalty for a shove in the back inside of three minutes, waved away by the referee with barely a glance, before Brighton’s top scorer on their European campaign tucked the only real chance of the opening exchanges wide of the near post from Karou Mitoma’s cut-back.

Pedro appealed again for a spot-kick, this time with more gusto, when he appeared to be bundled to the ground by Jorrel Hato. The defender was adjudged narrowly to have reached Mitoma’s through-ball ahead of the Brighton striker as the Amex howled for a penalty.

The hosts’ central-defensive pair spent much of the first half 10 yards inside the Ajax half. The plan to lure out the visitors and exploit the resulting space was resisted by caretaker boss Hedwiges Maduro’s team, who seemed content to sacrifice attacking ambition for the sake of clogging the gaps in between their lines.

Simon Adingra had the best chance of the opening half-hour when he lashed a right-footed effort over the bar from Lewis Dunk’s header back across goal, as Brighton’s threat was stymied by Ajax in what was a ponderous first half from De Zerbi’s side.

Mitoma and Pedro’s partnership looked the most likely avenue of success. The pair carved out the clearest opening yet when Pedro dashed into a channel down the right to reach his team-mate’s threaded ball and drove low at goal, only for goalkeeper Diant Ramaj to beat it away with a strong right hand.

The breakthrough came three minutes before the break. Dunk’s pass was weighted into the path of Mitoma who dashed into the box and dragged the ball inside Josip Sutalo to make space to shoot. His effort was pushed out by Ramaj, but only to the feet of the onrushing Pedro who continued his fine European scoring run to end a frustrating half for Brighton on a high.

Fati’s goal, slotted home brilliantly eight minutes after the break, cemented Brighton’s superiority. Adingra began the move from midfield, patiently stewarding the ball until Fati’s run was made, checking inside and feeding the on-loan Barcelona forward who beat his man with a devastating first touch and dispatched deftly beyond Ramaj.

The game had sprung suddenly to life. Fati was inches from making it three and burying Ajax, his driven effort licking inches wide of the post, before Steven Berghuis at the other end struck the upright with Jason Steele beaten,  a rare foray forward from the visitors.

It was to be the closest the 2019 Champions League semi-finalists came, as Brighton’s debut European season finally got going in earnest.

Brighton enjoyed a comprehensive first victory in the Europa League as a goal in either half from Joao Pedro and Ansu Fati eased them to a 2-0 win against Ajax at the Amex Stadium.

It took until the final minutes of a first half that Brighton had dominated for the breakthrough to arrive, Pedro tapping home on the rebound after an opening period in which Ajax – second bottom of the Eredivisie – did little more than look to preserve parity, as Brighton dictated things from the first minute.

The Dutch side have endured their worst-ever start to a league season, and after sacking manager Maurice Steijn on Monday they went down with barely a whimper, Fati’s goal early in the second half laying bare the gulf between Roberto De Zerbi’s team and the four-time European champions.

It was a first half that Brighton controlled but were for the most part frustrated by an organised, obdurate Ajax. Pedro wanted a penalty for a shove in the back inside of three minutes, waved away by the referee with barely a glance, before Brighton’s top scorer on their European campaign tucked the only real chance of the opening exchanges wide of the near post from Karou Mitoma’s cut-back.

Pedro appealed again for a spot-kick, this time with more gusto, when he appeared to be bundled to the ground by Jorrel Hato. The defender was adjudged narrowly to have reached Mitoma’s through-ball ahead of the Brighton striker as the Amex howled for a penalty.

The hosts’ central-defensive pair spent much of the first half 10 yards inside the Ajax half. The plan to lure out the visitors and exploit the resulting space was resisted by caretaker boss Hedwiges Maduro’s team, who seemed content to sacrifice attacking ambition for the sake of clogging the gaps in between their lines.

Simon Adingra had the best chance of the opening half-hour when he lashed a right-footed effort over the bar from Lewis Dunk’s header back across goal, as Brighton’s threat was stymied by Ajax in what was a ponderous first half from De Zerbi’s side.

Mitoma and Pedro’s partnership looked the most likely avenue of success. The pair carved out the clearest opening yet when Pedro dashed into a channel down the right to reach his team-mate’s threaded ball and drove low at goal, only for goalkeeper Diant Ramaj to beat it away with a strong right hand.

The breakthrough came three minutes before the break. Dunk’s pass was weighted into the path of Mitoma who dashed into the box and dragged the ball inside Josip Sutalo to make space to shoot. His effort was pushed out by Ramaj, but only to the feet of the onrushing Pedro who continued his fine European scoring run to end a frustrating half for Brighton on a high.

Fati’s goal, slotted home brilliantly eight minutes after the break, cemented Brighton’s superiority. Adingra began the move from midfield, patiently stewarding the ball until Fati’s run was made, checking inside and feeding the on-loan Barcelona forward who beat his man with a devastating first touch and dispatched deftly beyond Ramaj.

The game had sprung suddenly to life. Fati was inches from making it three and burying Ajax, his driven effort licking inches wide of the post, before Steven Berghuis at the other end struck the upright with Jason Steele beaten, a rare foray forward from the visitors.

It was to be the closest the 2019 Champions League semi-finalists came, as Brighton’s debut European season finally got going in earnest.

Ajax’s Eredivisie clash with rivals Feyenoord at the Johan Cruyff Arena was suspended after home fans threw fireworks on to the pitch.

The match had been halted twice before being officially suspended as Ajax fans hurled flares on to the field in protest as their club trailed 3-0.

After the referee had led the players off for a second time in the 55th minute it was announced shortly after that the fixture was “permanently stopped” as it was considered unsafe for the players to continue.

Ajax said on their official website’s live blog in the 56th minute: “De Klassieker has been permanently stopped after fireworks ended up on the field twice.”

The club announced shortly afterwards on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The match has officially been suspended.”

The Eredivisie posted a short social media statement on X, which read: “De Klassieker is permanently stopped after repeated fireworks on the field.

“More information about how to complete this match will follow later.”

Ajax supporters first hurled flares after Igor Paixao scored Feyenoord’s third goal in the 37th minute. Two earlier strikes from Santiago Gimenez had put the visitors in control.

It has been reported that Ajax fans had fought among themselves and some supporters began vandalising the stadium after the game had been halted.

Ajax have made a poor start to the season, winning only one of their first four league games and currently sit 13th in the table, 10 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven.

Inter Milan have announced the signing of midfielder Davy Klaassen from Ajax.

The 30-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Simone Inzaghi’s side which will take him to at least the summer of 2025.

Klaassen’s contract at Ajax was due to expire at the end of the season and he has been allowed to join the Italian side for free.

Klaassen has been capped 41 times by the Netherlands, scoring on 10 occasions and will now move to Italy for the first time in his career.

He becomes Inter’s sixth signing of the summer after Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer, Benjamin Pavard and Alexis Sanchez all signed for the club earlier in the window.

Klaassen said on Inter’s twitter feed: “I think I’m an all round midfield player who can help the team in attack and defence and I want to win a lot of games and a lot of trophies with Inter.”

Inter Milan have announced the signing of midfielder Davy Klaassen from Ajax.

The 30-year-old has signed a two-year deal with Simone Inzaghi’s side which will take him to at least the summer of 2025.

Klaassen’s contract at Ajax was due to expire at the end of the season and he has been allowed to join the Italian side for free.

Klaassen has been capped 41 times by the Netherlands, scoring on 10 occasions and will now move to Italy for the first time in his career.

He becomes Inter’s sixth signing of the summer after Marcus Thuram, Francesco Acerbi, Yann Sommer, Benjamin Pavard and Alexis Sanchez all signed for the club earlier in the window.

Klaassen said on Inter’s twitter feed: “I think I’m an all round midfield player who can help the team in attack and defence and I want to win a lot of games and a lot of trophies with Inter.”

Europa League debutants Brighton were drawn to take on former Champions League winners Ajax and Marseille in Friday’s group stage draw.

Roberto De Zerbi’s men secured a first season in continental football with a sixth-place finish in last season’s Premier League table, and their reward is matches against four-time European champions Ajax and the 1993 European Cup winners Marseille.

The Seagulls’ other group opponents are reigning Greek champions AEK Athens, with the first round of group stage games to be played on Thursday, September 21.

Ajax have finally filled the void left by Marc Overmars with the appointment of former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund transfer chief Sven Mislintat.

Overmars was sacked by Ajax in February 2022 after "a series of inappropriate messages sent to several female colleagues over an extended period of time".

The former Netherlands international apologised for his actions but departed the club, accepting a role at Belgian side Antwerp a month later.

In the meantime, Ajax have operated without a specific director of football, Overmars' duties instead handled by technical managers Gerry Hamstra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Mislintat, who left Stuttgart in late 2022, will step into the void from May 19.

Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar said of the appointment: "It is good for Ajax that we have been able to fill this important position with an internationally experienced football director who can start quickly.

"A careful process preceded the search for the right person. We were looking for someone who stands for attacking and attractive football.

"Someone who has an international network, and has an eye for scouting, development, and the growth of our own youth.

"Sven meets the profile, and he made a very good impression on us from the first talks in February.

"In addition, he has a way of working that fits today's industry. I am convinced that he will make an important contribution to new successes of Ajax."

Mislintat made his name at Borussia Dortmund, where he was head of scouting and head of professional football between 2006 and 2017, playing a vital role in the identification of talents who re-established BVB among the elite.

Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mats Hummels, Shinji Kagawa and Ousmane Dembele all signed for Dortmund on Mislintat's watch.

He became Arsenal's head of recruitment in 2017 but his spell in charge of transfers was largely deemed a disappointment, leaving in February 2019.

Mislintat returned to Germany with Stuttgart two months later, staying until late last year when he opted against signing a new contract as he sought a new challenge.

Wednesday's Dutch Cup semi-final between Feyenoord and Ajax was halted for 30 minutes after Davy Klaassen was struck on the head by an object thrown from the stands.

Ajax midfielder Klaassen was celebrating near the corner flag at De Kuip early in the second half when what appeared to be a lighter caught him on the back of the head.

The Netherlands international was left bleeding and referee Allard Lindhout took the decision to take both sets of players off the field.

After a stoppage of half an hour, during which time Feyenoord assistant John de Wolf urged home fans to "use their common sense", play eventually resumed.

Klaassen attempted to continue but he went down holding his head soon after and was replaced by Brian Brobbey.

But the 30-year-old ultimately had the last laugh as his goal proved to be the winner as Ajax held on to win 2-1 and advance to the final, where PSV await on April 30.

"These are always crazy matches when you play here," Klaassen later told ESPN. "But we didn't expect this. It goes beyond all limits.

"I felt something pretty hard. At first I felt anger inside, and I got even angrier when their goalkeeper [Timon Wellenreuther] ran over and shouted that I had to get up.

"Then another player looked at my head and it turned out I was covered in blood. I wanted to get away from the sidelines.

"I then had a throbbing feeling in my head and had trouble focusing so had to come off."

Klaassen added that he is not sure yet whether he intends to press charges, with local police reporting that a 32-year-man had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Away fans have not attended 'De Klassieker' games since 2009 in an attempt to quell violence in the stands.

Ajax head coach John Heitinga rued more frustrations in a disappointing season after Feyenoord came from behind to strike a significant Eredivisie title blow.

Arne Slot's side moved six points clear at the Dutch top-flight summit after Lutsharel Geertruida scored an 86th-minute winner in a 3-2 victory over second-placed Ajax on Sunday.

It marked the first time since August 2014 that Ajax lost an Eredivisie game they had led at half-time, after Edson Alvarez and Dusan Tadic goals had sent the hosts in leading 2-1 at the interval.

With only the top two qualifying for the Champions League, Heitinga – in charge until the end of the season following Alfred Schreuder's sacking in January  acknowledged Ajax are struggling with AZ and PSV in hot pursuit.

"Let's be clear: this is not the season Ajax wants it to be," said former defender Heitinga, as quoted by De Telegraaf.

"I have been asked to help this club. When I started we were fifth and then we won seven league games in a row. 

"And we probably would have won here too if [Mohammed] Kudus scored in the final phase. But unfortunately, he didn't. We are really going to do everything we can to finish this season as high as possible."

Stats Perform's predictor, which calculates the probability of a team's league finish based on numerous data, suggests Feyenoord have a 92.6 per cent chance of winning the league after a late win over Ajax.

 

Those title hopes were boosted by Geertruida's header, which was Feyenoord's latest winner in De Klassieker since November 1969 when Theo van Duivenbode scored in the 87th minute.

Feyenoord coach Slot said his side can dare to dream of a first championship since 2017 and just a second this century.

"We are in very good shape," he said. "I dare say that we are competing for the championship. And that we are in a fantastic position too.

"We had a great victory here. We know how much effort it takes to win every time. There is nothing wrong with that; we like to do that.

"I saw a physical performance today that also appeals to the imagination. If we can keep delivering and no one gets injured, then we are in really good shape."

Slot's men were somewhat fortunate in the first half, though, as Quilindschy Hartman escaped a second caution in quick succession from referee Danny Makkelie.

The defender was promptly removed in the 25th minute for Marcos Lopez, with the game finely poised at 1-1 after Alvarez cancelled out Santiago Gimenez's early opener.

"He got away with it, the referee could have given yellow again," Slot told ESPN. "Although you also have to analyse that first yellow card. Three violations preceded that. 

"Everyone understands that you don't enjoy playing football anymore if you have committed an offence that could have been your second yellow card. 

"Then you can no longer play against Kudus, a man who is so incredibly good in terms of individual class."

Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot hailed the "unreal" clinical display from his side after thumping Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 in their Europa League last-16 second leg.

Thursday's contest at De Kuip was far less evenly contested than last week's 1-1 draw, with Santiago Gimenez getting the ball rolling for the hosts inside nine minutes.

Orkun Kokcu scored twice before half-time and Oussama Idrissi likewise after the restart, before Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Danilo completed the rout by the 66th minute.

Kevin Kelsy pulled a goal back late on, but it was of no real consolation to the Ukrainian visitors as they bowed out of the competition.

It marks the second-biggest win for a Dutch side in a major European competition at this stage or beyond, after Ajax's 10-0 win over Omonia Nicosia in the 1979-80 European Cup.

Reflecting on a memorable result for his side, Slot said: "It was unreal how we put the match to bed so quickly.

"Normally we need more chances to score, so compliments to my players for being so efficient this evening.

"Shakhtar had a good spell in the first half, and you saw how our players blocked their shots in the box. They were so determined to get a good result."

Feyenoord are now unbeaten in 16 matches this calendar year, with their thumping victory against Shakhtar coming three days before facing fierce rivals Ajax.

Slot's side are three points better off than Ajax at the summit ahead of Sunday's Eredivisie showdown at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

"Of course this victory helps for the duel with Ajax," Slot said. "This gives a lot of confidence. 

"But I also see that Ajax have regained the level they had at the start of the season. Ajax have a good team again."

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