Jordan Henderson joins Chelsea after Brentford exit

By Robert O'Connor, Press Association

Jordan Henderson has joined Chelsea on a two-year deal following his departure from Brentford.

It was confirmed last week that the England international had had his Bees contract terminated after it emerged the club’s west London rivals were interested in signing him.

He becomes Chelsea’s eighth first-team arrival since new manager Xabi Alonso took over, and at 36 years old he is the most senior buy since owners BlueCo bought the club in 2022.

“Given the size of the club, the manager – who I have great admiration for – and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Henderson told Chelsea’s club website.

“I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.

“For me, it’s about giving everything every single day, both on and off the field, to help the players around me and the team as much as possible. I’m very excited to get going.”

Henderson captained Liverpool to a first Premier League title in 30 years in 2020 and was a Champions League winner with the club 12 months earlier.

He departed controversially for Saudi side Al-Ettifaq in 2023 but returned to Europe with Ajax after six months before signing for Brentford last summer.

With 91 senior caps, he was a surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad this summer. He is currently recovering from a broken wrist sustained during England’s celebrations following the last-16 win over Mexico, in which he was also booked as an unused substitute.

His arrival at Chelsea follows the signing of Brighton’s Danny Welbeck last week with the club having made a significant departure from their policy of signing exclusively young players.

It continues a busy summer in the transfer market as the club looks to remodel under Alonso.

Welbeck’s arrival followed the signings of Crystal Palace’s Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, while Argentina international Valentin Barco joined from Strasbourg on Sunday.

Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have also signed.

After a dismal campaign that saw the club finish 10th, the club’s hierarchy acknowledged last season that a change in recruitment policy was required, with a refocusing away from young, inexperienced players.