Chelsea sign Jordan Henderson as ex-Liverpool captain completes shock move

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Chelsea have completed a deal to sign England international Jordan Henderson. The former Liverpool captain, 36, has signed a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge after leaving Brentford.

Henderson still had another year left on his contract with the Bees but was allowed to leave for nothing. The addition of the former Liverpool star is intended to add more experience to a young Chelsea squad under Xabi Alonso , with ex-Manchester United and Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck , 35, also arriving on Saturday.

The veteran duo have been joined at Chelsea this summer by the more youthful trio of Morgan Rogers (24), Marco Palestra (21) and Valentin Barco (22).

"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 said.

"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."

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Henderson started his career with boyhood club Sunderland and moved to Liverpool in 2011. The midfielder made 492 appearances on Merseyside, helping the club to the Premier League and three Champions League finals, as well as a whole host of other trophies as captain.

He quit Anfield in 2023 in a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq but he was soon on the move once again with subsequent switches to Ajax and Brentford. His form last season was good enough to secure a spot in England’s squad for the World Cup.

The 93-capped midfielder made just one appearance at the tournament with a six-minute cameo against Panama in the Three Lions’ final group game. He suffered a horrendous arm injury after falling from the advertising hoardings around the pitch.