England
midfielder
Jordan Henderson
has signed with
Chelsea
on a two-year contract following the mutual termination of his agreement with
Brentford
.
At 36 years old, Henderson previously served as captain for
Liverpool
, leading the team to a Premier League title in the 2019-20 season. During his time at Anfield, he also claimed victories in the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup (twice), UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
In 2023, he transferred to Saudi club Al-Ettifaq, then moved to Ajax in January 2024, before returning to the Premier League with Brentford last summer, where he made 32 appearances in the top flight during the 2025-26 season.
“The size of the club, the manager [Xabi Alonso], whom I truly admire, and the caliber of players here present a significant opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” Henderson remarked. “For me, it’s about giving my all every single day, both on and off the field, to support my teammates and the team to the best of my abilities. I’m really looking forward to starting.”
Henderson began his career at
Sunderland
and made his Premier League debut as a substitute during a 5-0 defeat against Chelsea on November 1, 2008.
He earned his first of 91 caps for England in 2010 and has participated in seven major international tournaments, including the 2021 European Championship final, where the Three Lions lost in a penalty shootout to
Italy
.
Henderson became the first English player to feature in four different World Cups this summer, coming off the bench in the 2-0 win over
Panama
.
Unfortunately, that would be his only match of the tournament, as he sustained a
broken arm in an unfortunate incident
. He fell awkwardly while attempting to jump over the advertising hoardings after the 3-2 last-16 win over
Mexico
, a match he hadn’t even played in. Earlier in that game, he received a booking for expressing his frustration with an official’s decision during warm-up.
Chelsea finished the previous Premier League season in 10th place, just one point behind Brentford, and missed out on European competition.
Under new manager Xabi Alonso, the club has been active in the transfer market, with Henderson becoming the 10th player to join Chelsea this summer.
The club recently finalized a
record £117m deal
to acquire young England midfielder
Morgan Rogers
from
Aston Villa
, alongside 35-year-old England striker
Danny Welbeck
, acquired for around £5m from
Brighton
, and midfielder
Valentin Barco
from
Strasbourg
.
Other notable signings include 26-year-old defender
Maxence Lacroix
from
Crystal Palace
for £52m, right-back
Marco Palestra
from
Atalanta
for £42m, and right-winger
Geovany Quenda
for £40m from Sporting.
Additional new arrivals include 23-year-old striker
Emmanuel Emegha
from Strasbourg, 18-year-old left-back Denner from Corinthians, and 17-year-old striker Dastan Satpaev from Kairat Almaty.
On the outgoing front,
Como
finalized a deal worth over £30m
to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah
.