Jordan Henderson completes Chelsea move after medical

Jordan Henderson has completed his move to Chelsea on a free transfer and is awaiting the club’s official announcement after successfully passing his medical.

The 36-year-old England midfielder underwent his medical on Saturday and has completed all the formalities required to join Chelsea, according to Ben Jacobs of The Athletic. The deal is expected to be confirmed in the coming hours.

Henderson became available after Brentford announced last week that his contract had been terminated by mutual consent. The decision came as he closed in on a move to Chelsea, with Brentford having signed Mamadou Sangare as his direct replacement.

Chelsea will be the seventh club of Henderson’s senior career. He has previously played for Sunderland, Coventry City, Liverpool, Al-Ettifaq, Ajax and Brentford.

He made 32 Premier League appearances for Brentford last season, scoring once and providing three assists. In total, Henderson has played 463 matches in the Premier League during his career.

The midfielder featured only once for England at the 2026 World Cup after suffering a wrist injury while celebrating the victory over Mexico in the last 16. He subsequently required surgery.

Henderson has not ruled out continuing his international career once he has recovered. He is currently on holiday following the conclusion of the World Cup.

He is expected to join Chelsea training after his break and could be involved in the friendly against Real Sociedad on 15 August. However, the report indicates that his first appearance for Chelsea is more likely to come in the opening game of the Premier League season against Fulham on 24 August.

The move will also leave Henderson with a decision over his squad number at Stamford Bridge. He wore number six during his spells with both Ajax and Brentford, but that shirt is currently held by Levi Colwill at Chelsea.

Henderson was also strongly associated with the number 14 shirt during his time at Liverpool. That number currently belongs to Dario Essugo and could become available if the player leaves on loan.

Among the numbers currently available to Henderson at Chelsea are number three, following the departure of Marc Cucurella, number 18 – the number he wore at Coventry City – and number 13.

The transfer adds a vastly experienced midfielder to Chelsea’s squad, with Henderson bringing more than four centuries of Premier League appearances. The immediate priority, once his holiday ends, will be to complete his integration into the team ahead of the new campaign and the club’s opening league fixture against Fulham.