Jordan Henderson signs for Chelsea
Jordan Henderson has signed for Chelsea(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC)
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Jordan Henderson admits he "couldn't turn down" the "huge opportunity" to sign for Chelsea after his move was confirmed on Monday afternoon.
Henderson, 36, has signed a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge after his contract was mutually terminated by Brentford last week. He is now expected to team up with Xabi Alonso's squad once he has finished his summer break following his involvement with the England squad at the World Cup.
Speaking for the first time after being confirmed as a new Chelsea player, it's safe to say Henderson is delighted to have got the deal over the line. He said: "Given the size of the club, the manager, who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
"I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction. For me, it's about giving everything every single day, both on and off the field, to help the players around me and the team as much as possible. I'm very excited to get going."
Jordan Henderson signs for Chelsea
Jordan Henderson has signed for Chelsea(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC)
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Henderson is Chelsea's 10th new signing of the summer after Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Geovany Quenda, Emmanuel Emegha, Denner, Danny Welbeck, Valentin Barco and Dastan Satpaev arrived through the Cobham doors, adding more quality and experience to Alonso's squad.
Henderson has made almost 800 senior appearances across his established and successful career, winning the Premier League and Champions League at Liverpool, as well as a number of other major honours.
He featured 34 times across all competitions for Brentford last season as the Bees challenged - but eventually missed out on - a European spot. Manager Keith Andrews valued Henderson's leadership and was a huge fan of the former Al-Ettifaq and Ajax midfielder during his year-long spell at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford released a statement on Wednesday that Henderson's contract had been mutually terminated, paving the way for a move to Stamford Bridge. "The plan we agreed at the time was for Jordan to add his experience to the team and help the club achieve a good Premier League finish," Brentford director of football Phil Giles said.
"In return, the club committed to helping Jordan get into the England squad for the World Cup while remaining an elite Premier League midfielder. All of those targets were achieved.
"We also agreed that we would sit down after the World Cup and decide what the targets would be for both the club and Jordan in the second year of the contract.
"Following those conversations, it was clear that Jordan’s preference was to try something different in the final years of his playing career. We had always said to him that, should that be the case, we would not stand in his way.
"He therefore leaves after a very successful season, both personally and collectively, with the best wishes and gratitude of myself and everyone at Brentford."
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