Despite closing in on a move to Stamford Bridge, Jordan Henderson won’t be joining Chelsea on the plane for their pre-season tour.
Chelsea are putting the finishing touches on a deal for Jordan Henderson, securing the veteran midfielder on a free transfer from Brentford.
The Chelsea quad is already out in Australia and Asia, working through their summer fixtures, but they’re missing a major arrival. After helping England finish third at the World Cup, Morgan Rogers was given some extended downtime, so he misses out on the tour.
But that didn’t stop the Blues from getting off to a winning start, with a 6-4 win over the Western Sydney Wanderers at the Accor Stadium.
How many Premier League goals will Joao Pedro score next season? 🔮
A hat-trick in his first game under Alonso!
Jordan Henderson won’t join Chelsea’s pre-season tour
Jordan Henderson has agreed on a two-year deal with Chelsea, but fans won’t see him in action until after the pre-season tour, due to a combination of rest and injury recovery.
Journalist Dom Smith issued an update on Henderson’s situation on his X account.
‘Suffered an injury while on England duty this summer, which required surgery. No longer has his arm in a cast but is, in any case, on time off following the World Cup.’
Suffered an injury while on England duty this summer which required surgery. No longer has his arm in a cast but is, in any case, on time off following the World Cup
— Dom Smith (@MrDomSmith) July 29, 2026
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Players who are still yet to return to pre-season for Chelsea
Chelsea’s overseas pre-season tour is currently missing several key figures taking mandatory post-World Cup breaks.
As mentioned, summer signing Morgan Rogers and defender Reece James are both on extended leave following England’s tournament run, while Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Pedro Neto, and Nicolas Jackson have also been granted extra time off and are yet to feature.
Additionally, Mike Penders, Maxence Lacroix, Malo Gusto, Valentin Barco and Trevoh Chalobah are still to return for Chelsea as well, even when Lacroix officially joins.
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