Jordan Henderson was famously linked with a move to Fulham in a swap deal for Clint Dempsey a year after arriving at Anfield, and the American has now spoken about how close the transfer was.
Henderson’s future at Liverpool was in jeopardy in 2012 as Brendan Rodgers attempted to use his future captain as a makeweight in a deal for Dempsey.
At 22, the former Sunderland man stood his ground and refused to entertain a switch to Fulham as the club chased the American, who had handed in a transfer request.
Liverpool’s owners had even accidentally released a statement suggesting he had been signed, but in the end, Henderson remained at Anfield and Dempsey later signed for Tottenham.
Speaking on how close he felt he was to a Liverpool move with Men in Blazers, Dempsey said: “I was pretty close if I’m being honest with you.
“It was a situation where it was gonna be a trade for me and Jordan Henderson, and whether or not he wanted to come to Fulham or not.
“It wasn’t gonna be a situation where they were looking to spend a lot of money. I think they were kind of playing a little bit of Moneyball.
“I think they’d already spent a lot of money on Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll, so they were looking to try to figure out a way for someone who was a little bit older — maybe it made sense to be more of a trade.”
Dempsey added, “I think I would’ve fit their style – or more so, Brendan Rodgers’ style because I was an inverted winger, right?
“I played on the left, I’d come in on my right foot, kind of like what I did at Fulham. But Jordan Henderson didn’t want to make that change, and it ended up being the best move for him.
“He ultimately won a Champions League and a Premier League. But it was pretty close to happening, it just wasn’t meant to be.”
It was a sliding doors moment for Henderson and Liverpool as he would be named captain three years later and go on to become the first man with the armband to lift six different trophies at the club.
Dempsey, meanwhile, joined Seattle Sounders a year after signing for Tottenham and retired in 2018 after more than 600 appearances for club and country.
