Fabinho follows Jordan Henderson in relocating to Saudi Arabia from Liverpool

On Monday, Brazilian midfielder Fabinho joined Al-Ittihad, the squad that now has Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté, and Liverpool lost another player to the developing Saudi Pro League.

Fabinho left Liverpool, where he had been for five years, for an estimated 40 million pounds ($51.5 million).

Jordan Henderson left Liverpool after 12 years to join Al-Ettifaq, another Saudi club, a week before to his departure. After his contract at Liverpool ended, Roberto Firmino also left for the oil-rich country.

By bringing in some of the best players in the world, the Saudi league seeks to increase interest in soccer inside its borders. In December, Cristiano Ronaldo relocated to Al-Nassr.

The 29-year-old Fabinho made 219 appearances for Liverpool and was instrumental in the team’s Champions League and Premier League victories in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

After losing his form, Fabinho wasn’t always a regular for Liverpool last season. After overhauling his midfield with the additions of Dominik Szoboszlai, the captain of Hungary, and Alexis Mac Allister from Argentina, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is now looking for a holding midfielder to take Fabinho’s spot.

Fabinho said in a post on X, then known as Twitter, “It’s been five years wearing this jersey and always with the greatest honor and happiness possible.”

“I’ve been welcomed by everyone at Liverpool from the very beginning. I felt like family at this club because of what I saw about the relationships amongst the patrons. I developed as a player and a man during the course of these five years, living out my aspirations.

According to Al-Ittihad, Fabinho has signed a three-year contract.