Brentford signs England international Jordan Henderson on 2-year deal
Ajax’s Jordan Henderson celebrates as his team scores their side’s first goal during the Dutch Eredivisie soccer match between Ajax and PSV at ArenA stadium Amsterdam, Netherlands, Feb. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)
LONDON (AP) — Brentford signed England international Jordan Henderson on a two-year deal on Tuesday and described the midfielder as “one of the most influential leaders” in the Premier League.
Former Liverpool captain Henderson was a free agent after having his contract terminated by Ajax last week.
“When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision,” said Brentford coach Keith Andrews. “He will drive standards and be a brilliant addition to the squad.”
The 35-year-old Henderson returns to the Premier League after leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabian team Al-Ettifaq in 2023. He only stayed in Saudi Arabia for six months before moving to Dutch giant Ajax.
It was announced last week that he had requested for his Ajax contract to be terminated with a year remaining on his deal.
“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,” Andrews said.
Henderson won a full set of trophies with Liverpool, including the Premier League and Champions League.
“I try my best to pass on my experiences, especially to the younger players. But, at the same time, I still need to perform and do my job on the pitch,” he said. “It’s a given that I’ll help everybody around me but, even at my age, you can still learn a lot, you can still improve, and you can still get better, which is what I want to do at this club.”
Henderson’s arrival comes after Brentford sold midfielder Christian Nørgaard to Arsenal this offseason.
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