Faced with the prospect of having to compete for minutes at [Liverpool](https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/) and likely dropping down into a squad role, former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson decided to explore his options away from Anfield.
It’s a difficult decision that most top players at the biggest clubs eventually face, and there is no right answer. Henderson’s choice to follow Steven Gerrard to Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League, though, might have been the wrong one.
The move saw Henderson struggle to find purpose in Al-Ettifaq’s sporting/sportswashing project, lose his lock on an England role, and saw his personal brand suffer. A quick escape to Ajax didn’t go well, either.
Now, he’s returning to England, but despite early reports he could return to boyhood club [Sunderland](https://rokerreport.sbnation.com), instead it’s Brentford that the 35-year-old hard grafting midfielder is set to call his footballing home for the next two years.
According to widespread reports, terms of his contract have been agreed and as his Ajax deal expired at the end of the season he will be free to join Brentford, with his unveiling now expected early next week.
Brentford, who recently lost manager Thomas Frank and have hired first-time manager Keith Andrews as his replacement, were seeking a veteran leader after losing captain Christian Nørgaard to Arsenal earlier in the summer.
After finishing tenth last season, the mood at Brentford is rather uncertain following those departures, and it’s fair to ask if the situation Henderson is getting himself into will be any better than the last two stops.