Brentford confirm signing of Jordan Henderson | OneFootball

Brentford can confirm the signing of Premier League and Champions League-winning captain Jordan Henderson on a two-year contract.

Henderson, an England international with 84 caps for the Three Lions, joins the Bees on a free transfer after departing Ajax this summer.

The midfielder returns to the Premier League after short stints in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq and then in the Netherlands with Ajax.

Prior to that, Henderson was with Liverpool, where he spent 12 years and won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, Community Shield, Super Cup and Club World Cup.

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews said: “When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision.

“We did our due diligence around his recent games to see where he is: he’s still phenomenally fit and he’s still phenomenally motivated to achieve things in the game, having already achieved a lot.

“With the void of experienced players leaving the building - Christian Nørgaard, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee - it was important to replace that.

“We’ve got a pretty young squad, overall, and we’ve got a lot of club experience, which is really important, with the likes of Vitaly Janelt, Mathias Jensen, Ethan Pinnock and Josh Dasilva, who is still at the club doing rehab.

“But what Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years. He’s been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club.

“He also has experience at international level with England and, with that, comes a level of experience, professionalism and dedication to his profession - that’s the exact way we want to be as a football club.

“He will drive standards and be a brilliant addition to the squad.”

Henderson began his career with boyhood club Sunderland, where he made his Premier League debut as an 18-year-old and, after a loan spell in the Championship with Coventry City in 2008/09, he went on to make a further 70 top-flight appearances for the Black Cats.

A move to Liverpool followed, where he played 492 games and scored 33 goals, before replacing Steven Gerrard as Reds captain in 2015.

As skipper, he lifted six trophies, including the Champions League after victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Henderson was also named FWA Footballer of the Year at the end of the 2019/20 campaign and included in the PFA Team of the Year.

Leaving Liverpool in 2023, Henderson joined former team-mate Gerrard, who was Al-Ettifaq head coach, in Saudi Arabia, where he made 19 appearances in all competitions.

A transfer to Eredivisie side Ajax followed in January 2024, where the centre-midfielder played 57 times, before leaving the club this summer.

At international level, Henderson has played 84 times for England after making his debut in 2010. He was also named England Senior Men's Player of the Year in 2019.

The 35-year-old has featured at three World Cups, starting the Three Lions’ semi-final defeat to Croatia in 2018, and scored in the 3-0 win over Senegal in the round-of-16 win in 2022.

He has also played at three European Championships, with the most recent of those coming in 2021, when England lost the final to Italy at Wembley Stadium.

Henderson was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to football and to charity.