Jordan Henderson has joined Chelsea after leaving Brentford as a free agent via a mutual agreement. The England international has signed a two-year deal with the Blues. 

The midfielder had one year left on his contract with Brentford but left early, the club announced last week.

“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,” Henderson said to club media.

“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.’

Earlier in the off-season, Chelsea signed players like Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck and Morgan Rogers.

Henderson played 32 matches for Brentford in the previous season after making a move from Ajax. 

Earlier, Henderson played for Liverpool and made 492 appearances for the Reds. He won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup as captain and has had a successful career.

After Henderson’s move to Chelsea, Brentford boss Keith Andrews said: “Taking into consideration Jordan’s ambitions and where our squad is currently, we both felt it was the right time for Jordan to pursue his career elsewhere.”

Henderson will play under the tutelage of new head coach Xabi Alonso. Chelsea will begin their Premier League season against Fulham on Aug. 24.