How much is Jordan Henderson worth?

Last week Jordan Henderson signed a £100,000-a-week contract over a 5 year period which equates to around £6 Million in total. Is he worth that? The club has discussed the pros-and-cons and come together to make the decision that Jordan Henderson is indeed worth £6 Million to their football club..

In this day and age 6 million isn’t quite the vast number that it used to be but lets look at what Jordan Henderson can really bring to the club for that sum of money..

He has great stamina, he is the engine of the football team. His goal scoring and assist stats are increasing year on year. He has quality and is showing signs of leadership. He is one of Liverpool’s more reliable and better performing players and ultimately the fact that he is English and still very young means that his value is going to be elevated.

However, here is what Jordan Henderson does not bring, he has little flare, he lacks world class quality and as a result isn’t necessarily marketable. So in terms of return on money spent he isn’t looking the best deal at the moment. He wouldn’t draw a crowd or sell a huge amount of shirts and is unlikely to single headedly propel the club into one of Europe’s elite. So why pay so much money?

Lets assess what the pro-and-cons really mean for a football club.

He has enough quality to mix it with the best. He is young so he has potential to fulfil all the points mentioned in the last paragraph. Most importantly football is a team game and while flare players may draw the crowds. Reliable players play a vital role in filling the squad with quality. 11 Jordan Henderson’s would do very well against most players in the league and just like flare players if you want the best core players then you have to spend big.

Finally, his age and nationality mean that he will be sought after by other clubs and therefore a large contract is a way to deter other clubs from signing him. After all football has become a business and the pros-and-cons aren’t just about how good you are on the pitch and what 'stats' you can provide but how you contribute to the club as a whole.

With all this in mind, I think £100,000-a-week for Jordan Henderson is actually the right price for now. With his potential still yet to be fulfilled it means that the money could be misplaced or it could mean that he is a complete bargain. For now that gamble is worth £6million.