Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has joined Brentford and is set to face the Reds for the first time since leaving the club
Jordan Henderson arrives at day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Jordan Henderson arrives at day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
(Image: 2025 Neil Mockford)
Jordan Henderson is back in the Premier League. The former Liverpool captain has returned to the English top-flight after signing for Brentford on a free transfer, two years after calling time on his Anfield career.
The 35-year-old left the Reds in controversial circumstances in July 2023 as he signed for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq in a £12m deal. However, he quickly returned to European football as he cancelled his lucrative contract after just half a season and 19 appearances.
The midfielder went on to sign for Ajax and has spent the last year and a half in Amsterdam - though he did nearly leave for Monaco last January.
Taking over as Ajax captain, Henderson made 57 appearances in 18 months with the Dutch giants. He helped them qualify for Europe in his first few months and then sealed Champions League qualification last season - although a late collapse saw them miss out on the Eredivisie title in agonising circumstances.
Former Liverpool assistant coach John Heitinga returned to Amsterdam as he was appointed Ajax head coach earlier this summer. His first signing was to bring in young Reds goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros on loan.
But the pair will not work alongside Henderson after his contract with Ajax was terminated.
After penning a two-year contract with Brentford, the England international wrote a lengthy message to Ajax supporters on social media, sharing his love for the club and backing Heitinga to deliver success.
“I’ll always look back on these last 18 months with immense pride,” Henderson wrote. “Most importantly, we gave our incredible fans something to cheer for - something to get excited by.
“We gave supporters the chance to see the team they love giving everything on the pitch. That feeling is something I’ll always remember and take with me forever.
“Thank you to the players, staff, fans, and everyone connected with Ajax. It was an honour to captain your club. I hope you could see that I gave everything every time I stepped onto the pitch.
“I’ll miss being with this group of players day to day, but I’ll always be watching and supporting them from afar.
“I wish you all the very best of luck for the future, and I hope that this season John and the boys can go one step further. They deserve it - and so do the fans. Success will return, and soon.
“I look forward to coming back with my family to the Arena in the future, as supporters ourselves. Ajax will always hold a special place in our hearts.”
Henderson will now be reunited with a number of familiar faces with Brentford in former Liverpool team-mates Caoimhin Kelleher, Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho.
And also facing the prospect of locking horns with the Reds and his boyhood club Sunderland, the veteran has shared his delight at returning to the Premier League.
“I still had, I suppose after a couple of years away, that fire to maybe come back and play in the Premier League again,” he admitted to club media. “We know it’s the best league in the world with the best players so it’s a big challenge but one I was keen on doing.
“Yeah, obviously (there are familiar faces here). Caoimh’s not in yet, but I spoke to Sepp and Fab a bit, along with the rest of the lads.
“So it’s nice to have a couple of familiar faces, for sure. Great lads who I got on really well with at Liverpool. That’s been nice for me to settle in.
“Both clubs (Liverpool and Sunderland) mean a lot to me. I came through at Sunderland, and played for them in the first team for a couple of years. I owe a lot to them for my development as a player.
“And Liverpool as well, it was a huge part of my life. I was there for 12 years. An incredible club - I loved every minute of it. So I owe a lot to them as well.
“But when we’re playing against them, there’s no friends. We know that in football. We’ll be doing everything we can to try and win.”
Henderson made 492 appearances during his 12 years with Liverpool, scoring 33 goals and recording 58 assists.
Captaining the Reds for eight seasons, he famously led the club to Premier League and Champions League glory, and also won the FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, two League Cups, the European Super Cup and the Community Shield.
However, after leaving Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq in the summer of 2023, he claimed he had felt unwanted by Jurgen Klopp and the club when explaining his decision.
“There were a few things that sent alarm bells ringing,” he revealed. “I’ve got a very good relationship with Jurgen. He was very honest with me.
“I won’t go into detail about the conversation because it’s private, but it put me in a position where I knew that I wasn’t going to be playing as much. I knew there were going to be new players coming in my position.
“And if I’m not playing, as anybody will know, especially the manager, that can be quite difficult for me and especially when I’ve been at a club for so long, I’ve captained the team for so long. Especially when England’s a big thing for me. You’ve got the Euros coming up.
“And then there was an approach from Al Ettifaq to the club to see if it would be possible for me to go there. The reaction from the club again wasn’t to say no.
“At that moment, I felt as though my value or the want for me to stay, with the manager and within the club, maybe it had shifted. I knew that time would come at some point. I didn’t think it would be now. And I had to accept that.
“I’ve got very good relationships with Jurgen, with the owners of the club. That’ll be forever. What we’ve achieved together in the past 12 years has been incredible. But at the same time, it was hard for me to take that.
“If one of those people said to me, 'Now we want you to stay', then we wouldn’t be having this conversation. And I have to then think about what’s next for me in my career.
"Now, that’s not to say that they forced me out of the club or they were saying they wanted me to leave but at no point did I feel wanted by the club or anyone to stay.”
Henderson was never granted a ‘proper’ farewell by Liverpool supporters, courtesy of the timing of his exit.
However, he returned to Anfield as a fan to see the Reds lift the Premier League trophy back in May.
Meanwhile, he also paid his own personal visit to the stadium to pay his respects to Diogo Jota earlier this month, laying a floral tribute and scarf in honour of his late team-mate, before travelling with the Liverpool first-team squad to Portugal for the forward's funeral.
Henderson is certain to receive a warm reception when he faces off against the Reds this season - even if he has warned them not to expect any favours from their former captain.
Liverpool are set to travel to Brentford on October 25, while Henderson will potentially have to wait until the final game of the season to make his first return to Anfield as a player with the Reds set to host the Bees on May 24.