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Chelsea Football Newsletter
Jordan Henderson has joined Chelsea, signing a two-year deal to become the club’s eighth first-team arrival this summer.
It was confirmed last week that the England international had his Brentford contract terminated, meaning he has made the move across west London on a free transfer.
Henderson follows Danny Welbeck, Maxence Lacroix, Morgan Rogers, Valentin Barco, Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda in joining Chelsea this summer as part of a major first-team squad overhaul.
At 36 years old, Henderson is the most senior arrival since owners BlueCo bought the club in 2022 and the former Liverpool captain has revealed the role Xabi Alonso played in his decision to join Chelsea.
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.”
Henderson will have to wait a while longer to make his Chelsea debut as players who featured at the World Cup are given a mandatory 21 days off over the summer.
As England were involved in the ‘bronze final’ against France on July 18, this will take Henderson up this weekend when he is expected to report to Cobham for the start of his pre-season.
The midfielder did not feature in the aforementioned fixture as a result of suffering a freak injury following the last-16 win over Mexico.
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Henderson slipped while attempting to jump back over an advertising hoarding after joining in the celebrations with England’s fans and landed awkwardly on his left arm.
The midfielder subsequently underwent surgery and wore an arm cast as he stayed with the squad for the remainder of the tournament.
In a potential boost for Chelsea, judging by the first pictures of him after signing for the Blues, it would appear that Henderson’s arm is no longer in a cast which suggests he has made a full recovery nearly a month removed from sustaining the injury.
As such, he could be in line to make his Chelsea debut as soon as possible.
Additional reporting by Press Association.