Brentford sign Henderson on two-year deal

Jordan Henderson was named FWA Footballer of the Year in 2020

Jordan Henderson believes he still has time to improve as a player at the age of 35 after joining Brentford on a two-year contract.

The England midfielder and former Liverpool captain returns to the Premier League after his recent departure from Ajax.

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

In July 2023, he joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Ettifaq, managed by former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard, but six months later his contract was cancelled and he joined Ajax.

Last week, the Dutch club agreed to end Hendersons contract a year early leading to his move to Brentford.

"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," Henderson told the clubs website.

"Its a given that Ill 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 was handed an England recall in March by new manager Thomas Tuchel, having not played for the Three Lions since November 2023. He has 84 England caps.

The midfielder has featured at three World Cups and three European Championships.

Henderson was appointed an MBE in the 2021 Queens Birthday Honours for services to football and to charity.

"When we became aware of Jordans availability, it was a pretty simple decision," said Brentford manager Keith Andrews.

"Hes still phenomenally fit and hes still phenomenally motivated to achieve things in the game, having already achieved a lot."

Andrews said it was important to replace the experience lost with the recent departures of Christian Norgaard, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee.

"What Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years," Andrews said. "Hes been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club.

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

Hendersons contract was ended a year early after Ajax missed out on the league title on the final day of last season. The decision was reportedly driven in part by the clubs financial difficulties, with Henderson their biggest earner.

The 35-year-old was involved in controversy during his 18 months at the club.

On 30 January, Henderson played in a 2-1 Europa League win against Galatasaray but refused to captain the side or join his team-mates in their goal celebrations. Then-manager Francesco Farioli subsequently declined to comment on speculation linking Henderson with a move to Monaco.

A few days later, following a win against Feyenoord, Henderson got into a heated exchange with Dutch football journalist Mike Verweij, who questioned whether the former Liverpool captain had agitated for the move, which he denied.

Following the public row, Henderson only started a further nine games. During his time at Ajax, he started 30 league matches, completing 90 minutes on 20 occasions.

Henderson will effectively fill the void left by Christian Norgaard at Brentford and he has big shoes to fill. Since his Premier League debut in 2021, the Denmark midfielder has made an unrivalled 201 interceptions, while he also ranks second overall for recoveries (844) and third for tackles won (189).

Henderson has perhaps not played as many full games as he would have liked since ending his controversial stint in Saudi Arabia to join Ajax in January 2024 but he has still been effective in Amsterdam, albeit in a less well-regarded league.

He created the joint-highest number of chances of any Ajax player in the Eredivisie last season. He also completed the most passes and crosses, and made the most tackles and interceptions combined, of any Ajax midfielder.