LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Chelsea announced the signing of veteran England midfielder Jordan Henderson from Premier League rivals Brentford on Monday.

The former Liverpool captain, who was part of England’s World Cup squad at the recent tournament in North America, has signed a two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

“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,” said Henderson.

“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.”

It was confirmed last week that Henderson had had his Brentford contract terminated after it emerged the club’s west London rivals Chelsea were interested.

The 36-year-old won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool. He left Anfield for Saudi club Al-Ettifaq in 2023, moving to Ajax six months later.

He returned to the Premier League with Brentford last year, signing a two-year contract.

Henderson, who has won 91 international caps, was part of England’s 2026 World Cup squad but played only a handful of minutes, breaking an arm later in the tournament.

He joins Xabi Alonso’s squad just two days after Chelsea signed fellow veteran Danny Welbeck from Brighton.

The Blues spent a British-record £117 million ($157 million) to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa last month and have also landed France defender Maxence Lacroix and Atalanta defender Marco Palestra.

Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season, one point and one place behind Brentford, and failed to qualify for European football.

Alonso’s team will face Fulham at Craven Cottage in their Premier League opener on August 24.