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Brentford has confirmed the signing of former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson on a two-year deal.
The midfielder left Ajax last week on a free transfer, with the club and player mutually agreeing to rip up his contract a year early. Henderson, who captained Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2019 and the Premier League title a year later, departed Anfield two years ago.
After a brief and ill-fated spell with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, he spent a year and a half at Ajax and made 57 appearances, but is now set to return to the Premier League following months of speculation surrounding his future.
“When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision,” head coach Keith Andrews told the club’s website as the news was confirmed.
“We did our due diligence around his recent games to see where he is: he’s still phenomenally fit and he’s still phenomenally motivated to achieve things in the game, having already achieved a lot.”
Henderson will join former team-mate Caoimhin Kelleher in west London, after the Irish goalkeeper signed for Brentford earlier this summer.
The England international’s experience will be key in a summer of change at Brentford that has seen Christian Norgaard and Mark Flekken move on, Bryan Mbuemo and Yoane Wissa could follow, while Thomas Frank has been replaced by Andrews, in his first senior coaching role.
“We’ve got a pretty young squad, overall, and we’ve got a lot of club experience, which is really important,” said Andrews.
“But what Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years.
“He’s been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club.
“He also has experience at international level with England and, with that, comes a level of experience, professionalism and dedication to his profession - that’s the exact way we want to be as a football club. He will drive standards and be a brilliant addition to the squad.”
Henderson had been linked with a summer return to Sunderland, but will hope his move to a more established Brentford side will avoid being involved in a relegation fight this season.
The 35-year-old, who has earned 84 England caps, will hope for a strong campaign at the Gtech Community Stadium which will help him hold down a place in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad ahead of next summer’s World Cup.
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