Jordan Henderson to Sunderland should feel right - so why does it feel wrong?

Jordan Henderson is rumoured to be a Sunderland transfer target. It makes perfect sense for everyone - so why doesn't it feel right?

Jordan Henderson - former Sunderland midfielder / IMAGO / DeFodi

Football is ultimately cyclic. It always kind of has been. At Sunderland, we have seen that for years.

In fact, at the height of Sunderland’s darkest days in League One, I found myself at a work event at which Newcastle United legend Kevin Keegan was the guest speaker. He said to a room, filled mostly with Newcastle fans, that it was simply a matter of time before Sunderland were back in the Premier League and thriving, because that is how football works.

It can be the same with players too, and over the last few days we have seen rumours intensify that Jordan Henderson could be set for a return to his boyhood club from Ajax. If it were to happen, it would compete a career circle with Henderson ending his career in the same place he started it.

It’s probably fair to say that had this story emerged 18 months or so ago, you wouldn’t have found a single Sunderland fan remotely opposed to it. Henderson has done a first-rate job at thrashing his reputation since then, though.

By leaving Liverpool and accepting what many see as tainted money from Saudi Arabia, Henderson feels like damaged goods. Not necessarily from a football point of view – although there is no denying that at 34 he is nowhere near the player he was – but certainly from a reputational one, despite leaving Saudi Arabia to join Ajax.

However, it’s still hard for many, myself included, to not get caught up in the romanticism of a potential return to Wearside. The question many are asking, though, is whether romanticism is all there would be to it.

After all, gone are the days when Sunderland look backwards. In fact, the club has become known for their dedication to the future. The most-used midfield three this season – a season that sees Sunderland currently top of the Championship – is 17-year-old Chris Rigg, 19-year-old Jobe Bellingham, and 22-year-old Dan Neil.

There is depth there too, with Alan Browne and Salis Abdul Samed waiting in the wings for opportunities.

So where, exactly, would Henderson fit in if he did return?

I mean, from a purely developmental perspective, a move would make sense to Sunderland. For a club keen to tell young players that Sunderland is the place to build the foundations of a great career, being able to show them an academy product who went on to be a Champions League and Premier League winning captain every single day would be incredible.

Jordan Henderson - Champions League winner / IMAGO / PRiME Media Images

For the likes of Rigg and Neil, who are both local lads as well and who play in the same position as Henderson, he would be a genuine inspiration as well as someone from whom they could learn an awful lot.

Similarly, Jude Bellingham often cited former England teammate Henderson as a key influence on his development too, so brother Jobe would almost certainly be keen for the chance to develop alongside him too.

Then there is the sheer experience factor. Sunderland have done well to raise the average age of their squad since last season, but it remains the youngest in the Championship. The sheer knowhow of Henderson could be a frankly enormous positive influence, especially if a promotion bid is still on going into the second half of the season.

If the reports are accurate and Henderson returning to Sunderland is an actual possibility, it feels like it should be an absolute no brainer from every angle. And yet, something feels quite uncomfortable about it.

Perhaps it is just that reputational harm. The Saudi thing, especially for a region who has had Saudi issue and all the controversies that it brings thrust upon it, has unquestionably made Henderson damaged goods.

Jordan Henderson - Sunderland days / IMAGO / Sportimage

There actually felt a degree of betrayal about it too. For all he was once one of Wearside’s proudest sons, taking the Saudi money and allowing himself to become a poster child for them in the process was a bit of an afront to the club and people who gave him his start. There was genuine disappointment that he did it, and that disappointment still lingers.

It is, therefore, very tough to judge. When former players return, and we have had our fair share of them, there is always a battle between head and heart. With Henderson, it’s even harder to separate the two with confidence.

And maybe it shouldn’t be. After all, Henderson was a brilliant young player for Sunderland and represented the city and his own heritage outstandingly well for the most part, whether it was in the Champions League or Premier League with Liverpool, or on the world stage with England. He excelled for Sunderland on the pitch as well. Why should one bad decision override all that?

The truth is that regardless of how it might feel, if – and it is a huge if – Henderson is available and wants to return to Sunderland, the club would be absolutely crazy to not make it happen.