Advertisement
Jordan Henderson's move to Liverpool raised eyebrows at the time. AP/Press Association Images

Damien Comolli: 'I was led to believe I was sacked because we signed Jordan Henderson'

Liverpool bought the Sunderland youngster for £20million.

Updated at 16.47

DAMIEN COMOLLI HAS suggested that the signing of Jordan Henderson was ultimately to blame for his sacking by Liverpool as Director of Football.

Speaking at the 2014 Web Summit in Dublin today, Comolli — who has overseen a number of high-profile purchases working with Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham (among others), from the good (Luis Suarez) to the bad (Andy Carroll) — highlighted Henderson in particular as a fascinating case.

“When we signed Jordan Henderson, he got so much criticism, I got so much criticism,” Comolli said.

“I was never told why I was sacked but I was led to believe it was because we signed Jordan Henderson, and the owners were convinced he was not good enough.”

Comolli revealed that Henderson’s creativity, in particular, was what drew him to the player as a youngster at Sunderland.

“Looking at Jordan Henderson, we wanted legs, we wanted physicality, we wanted pace and creativity in the final third. I was able to benchmark Jordan against the top midfield players in the Premier League, taking his age into consideration, taking the transfer fee into consideration, and in my position, you need to look at age, money and the player’s ability.

“Looking at all this, what he was doing for his age, and all due respect to Sunderland, he was definitely undervalued by the market. And I’ve been told we overvalued him. Even directors at Sunderland later said ‘you didn’t know what you were doing’.

“Jordan stood out at the time, when he was 20, because of the number of chances he created in the final third. He was very good at it. When you look at chances created in the final third in open play, you are the best player finishing in the top 5-10 [in the Premier League] every year.

“So when I saw Jordan in that area, I thought he’s definitely got something. Because when I was looking at it five years back, Henry, Lampard and Fabregas were there, so when he was there, I thought definitely he’s got something. It can’t be a coincidence, and now look at him.”

Comolli also defended his overseeing of Liverpool’s acquisition of Andy Carroll for £35million, pointing out that they earned a large proportion of his transfer fee back, while the deal also coincided with the purchase of Luis Suarez, who turned out to be a great success at the club.

“We sold two players, we bought two players. We were fitter, younger, and we still had value. Because I told the owners we still have value, if it goes wrong with Andy Carroll, we’ve overpaid by 15million. They got 20million back and they got incredible value on Suarez, not only by the money from Barcelona but him taking them on his own to the Champions League.”

Additional reporting by Steven O’Rourke

Here’s how Paul Scholes reacted to being called a ‘ginger, Manc t**t’ by Liverpool fans>

Rodgers claims Liverpool stars could remain benched for Chelsea visit>

Close
36 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Aaron
    Favourite Aaron
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 5:02 PM

    Spends £55mil on Henderson and Carroll and then is wondering why he was sacked?

    237
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jack Matthynssens
    Favourite Jack Matthynssens
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 5:36 AM

    Henderson is proving to be worth every penny!

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dylan Moran
    Favourite Dylan Moran
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 4:46 PM

    Or perhaps everything before it and overpaying for him was the last straw

    158
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ted Carroll
    Favourite Ted Carroll
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 5:11 PM

    Poor oul Jordo gets some amount of stick whether it’s from that pest Ferguson (for absolutely no reason) complaining about how he runs to Comoli announcing to the world that he was sacked for signing him!

    114
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 6:53 PM

    ah well….dont like ferguson, but he was right, henderson does have a clumbsy running technique

    28
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Derek Mahon
    Favourite Derek Mahon
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 11:57 PM

    And you have a ‘clumbsy’ spelling technique..

    62
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Whelan
    Favourite Dave Whelan
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 12:51 AM

    So does Fergus McFadden (seriously, check him out next time he’s sprinting) and he’s one of the fastest in the Leinster squad.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute elstevio
    Favourite elstevio
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 1:18 AM

    I think Camolli’s point is that he was sacked because at the time everyone thought Henderson was not good enough. Now Henderson has proved himself a top player, Camolli is having a whinge. He may have a point there. It’s Andy Carroll that was the disastrous signing, Liverpool took a £20m bath on that lad

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gar Éire
    Favourite Gar Éire
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 3:05 PM

    On that note, take a look at Chris Latham. One of the best full backs of all time.
    He looked uncoordinated, but was anything but!

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane O'Donnell
    Favourite Shane O'Donnell
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 5:00 PM

    Good enough reason, what’s his problem

    61
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Johnny Bravo
    Favourite Johnny Bravo
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 5:36 PM

    Sacked because he wouldn’t wear the Suarez tee shirts I heard

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael cunnane
    Favourite Michael cunnane
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 6:48 PM

    Not to mention the dross he signed at white Hart lane.

    36
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jack Matthynssens
    Favourite Jack Matthynssens
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 5:37 AM

    Yeah, like Gareth Bale…

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute VoiceOfVanguard
    Favourite VoiceOfVanguard
    Report
    Nov 11th 2014, 9:43 AM

    t

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cornelius Collins
    Favourite Cornelius Collins
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 6:57 PM

    Easy to talk after the dust has settled but both Carroll and henderson were considered flops when he got the bullet. That’s a lot of money for players not producing at the time of your p45. The fact West Ham were stupid enough to pay for that crock carrol is beside the point. Didn’t happen on your watch. Will henderson turn into a lampard Gerrard Scholes? Only time will tell but if I was a gambling man I would not put my last fiver on it. The fact he was at spurs when there were more misses than hits probably didn’t help. How much did caybe cost? English players so overpriced if they don’t hit the ground running your looking at the dole. Same problem at villa just we don’t have 55 million to waste on 2 players. Plenty of fellas in the 5 to 8 million bracket have crippled us. That’s without mentioning bent! Talking nonsense if you ask this man’s humble opinion…. which no one did obviously

    22
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 7:27 PM

    henderson is just a journeyman 5million pound player. £20 million was way too much definatly

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter Roche
    Favourite Peter Roche
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 9:58 PM

    FFS Thomas you are so deluded. Jordan is pure class
    I said it at the time
    He has great technic savage fitness and heart also. That is why he is now club vice captain.
    To say he is a journey man. You are wrong he will leave for a too Champions league team like Real or barca or maybe bayern but he will not go latterly Give him time Top player in the making

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Aaron Quinn
    Favourite Aaron Quinn
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 11:14 PM

    Are you being serious Peter? Do you really think Henderson ranks alongside the likes of Kroos, Modric, Iniesta or Schweinsteiger? He is a somewhat talented player but is far from Madrid/Barca/Munich standard.

    15
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute BAZINGA !
    Favourite BAZINGA !
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 8:48 AM

    Peter where’s your last vice captain playing now …

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ryan o sullivan
    Favourite ryan o sullivan
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 6:48 PM

    Sold Torres signed Suarez – 30€ million profit. 35€ Carroll 20€ Henderson !suarez sold 70€ =45€ plus the 15€ the got for Carroll I think he done a pretty good job after all

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andrew Hickey
    Favourite Andrew Hickey
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 7:08 PM

    You forgot to factor Torres was £20m stg.

    31
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ryan o sullivan
    Favourite ryan o sullivan
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 7:22 PM

    Ah we could go on all day but we got years of greatness out of Torres and sold him on for more money same with Suarez !

    17
    See 12 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 8:39 PM

    And bought overpriced joe allen=flop; lalanna=flop ;lambert=flop; balatelli =flop; lovren=flop; moreno=flop; emer can=flop; asbas=flop; and sold good players, spearing,martin kelly, charlie adam, Reina.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane Flanagan
    Favourite Shane Flanagan
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 8:58 PM

    Thomas I feel now would be a good time to put the keyboard away cos uv clearly resorted to typing shite at this stage.

    72
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe Turley
    Favourite Joe Turley
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 10:05 PM

    What can emer do?

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jack_sonM
    Favourite Jack_sonM
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 11:35 PM

    @thomas
    Do you want sum aloe vera?
    Cos you just got burnt

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 4:57 AM

    How so? liverpool are languishing in 7th position in the league now( and lucky to be that high). a standard they previously were at before they spent millions on those flops.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Colin Howell
    Favourite Colin Howell
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 5:02 AM

    Yeah, Spearing was great…

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 5:32 AM

    Was’nt bad…he was only 19 or 20

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Thomas Mcdonagh
    Favourite Thomas Mcdonagh
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 5:33 AM

    23

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gavin Doyle
    Favourite Gavin Doyle
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 8:12 AM

    Ya haven’t a clue

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gavin Doyle
    Favourite Gavin Doyle
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 8:15 AM

    Liverpool that high in the league not playin well still ahead of Man Utd who spent double Liverpool have. Liverpool not had their main striker or john Flanagan available and when they comeback it will be massively different started to look good against Real Madrid the other night including cam and markovic . Let’s wait and see after Christmas where Liverpool are and your team United are

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute BAZINGA !
    Favourite BAZINGA !
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 8:46 AM

    And you have Doyle ???? Please no more I’m falling off the chair here with laughter

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JB
    Favourite JB
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 10:19 AM

    Holy mother of jesus you must be joking, you’re no longer allowed have an opinion.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute eire
    Favourite eire
    Report
    Nov 5th 2014, 6:07 PM

    So you replaced Madrid with Barcelona! Lucky I spotted it eh hahaha

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute foxyfonz
    Favourite foxyfonz
    Report
    Nov 6th 2014, 10:13 AM

    He was 16million.

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.