**Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole says the Blues should be looking at players like Jordan Henderson to add experience and the right mentality to the playing squad.**
Henderson is currently at Brentford, but he won every single major trophy during his spell at Liverpool.
Cole says that the addition of Henderson, along with two other Champions League winners, could bring a better balance to the young talent already at Stamford Bridge:
“I think of experienced players who can come into the squad and help out immediately. So you’re looking at who’s available, I’m thinking players like John Stones. Lewandowski, he’s coming to the end of his contract, we need a centre forward. He probably fancies the Premier League and living in London, give him a year-long contract to come and play 35 games for us and help out Liam Delap and help out Joao Pedro. They need those types of players.”
“Jordan Henderson, I said Jordan Henderson last season and people laughed. Look at what Brentford Football Club have done, and nobody’s going, ‘Hold on a minute’. I know he’s not been blowing the doors off on Match of the Day. But he sets the tone, and he’s helped players around him, all the untangible things you can’t see. We spent all this money on young players, but they have no one around them.”
Henderson is out of contract at the end of next season, so the chances of him leaving Brentford (where he has been a regular starter) are low.
Lewandowski, meanwhile, is set to depart Barcelona, but the form of Joao Pedro means it would be a surprise if Chelsea signed someone who would take his place.
Centre-back does, though, remain a problem position, and with Stones having announced that he will be leaving Manchester City on a free transfer, he is one to keep an eye on.
Are Chelsea targeting any other experienced players?
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Interestingly enough, one of Stones’ current teammates, Nathan Ake, has been [**linked**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-transfer-news-nathan-ake/) with a return to Stamford Bridge.
The Dutchman has not had much game time at City over the past 12 months, and there is a possibility he could move back to London, having originally left the Blues for Bournemouth in the summer of 2017.
[**Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here**](https://chelseanews.com/blog/chelsea-first-team-squad/)