Jordan Henderson says he knew he wanted to be at Brentford after a conversation with manager Keith Andrews.
The former Liverpool midfielder completed his move to the Bees on Tuesday after mutually terminating his contract with Ajax.
Henderson, 35, has agreed a two-year contract and becomes their fifth signing of the summer.
After Christian Norgaard left Brentford to join Arsenal, Andrews moved quickly to add experience to his side.
On the surface of it, a move for Henderson seems like astute business for Andrews. His leadership qualities in the dressing room could prove vital, particularly with the Irishman undergoing his first managerial experience after replacing Thomas Frank.
What Jordan Henderson said about Keith Andrews
Speaking to Brentford’s official channel, Henderson praised Andrews’ honesty in their discussions. He said: “When I spoke to Phil Giles, Lee Dykes and Keith, I just had a really good feeling about everything.
“As soon as I had that conversation, it was clear for me that I wanted to come here and it was an easy decision in the end.
“When I spoke to Keith a few times, he was very good and very honest, and he’s excited to get started as well.
“He was another big reason why I wanted to come and try to help the club keep moving forward.
“I try my best to pass on my experiences, especially to the younger players. But, at the same time, I still need to perform and do my job on the pitch.
“It’s a given that I’ll help everybody around me but, even at my age, you can still learn a lot, you can still improve, and you can still get better, which is what I want to do at this club.”
Leader. Winner. pic.twitter.com/GGoxAqXmVw
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 15, 2025
‘Phenomenally fit and phenomenally motivated’
Those were the words from Andrews as he explained the reasons why he decided to make a move for the England international.
Andrews, who will undoubtedly be under the microscope following his appointment, said: “When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision.
“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.
“With the void of experienced players leaving the building – Christian Nørgaard, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee – it was important to replace that.
“We’ve got a pretty young squad, overall, and we’ve got a lot of club experience, which is really important, with the likes of Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen, Ethan Pinnock and Josh Dasilva, who is still at the club doing rehab.
“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.”
Brentford are the joint fourth 7/2 favourites to be relegated next season with Irish bookmakers.