Why Sunderland opted against signing Jordan Henderson

Why Sunderland opted against signing Jordan Henderson



Henderson was heavily linked with a possible return to his hometown club, Sunderland, when his departure from Ajax as a free agent was confirmed earlier this summer.

However, while Black Cats officials discussed the possibility of offering the 35-year-old an emotional return to Wearside, their interest did not progress to the point where a contract was offered.

Having already signed central midfielders Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki, the Sunderland hierarchy felt they had moved in a different direction.

There was also a desire not to hamper the continued development of homegrown midfielders Dan Neil and Chris Rigg, who will be experiencing their first taste of Premier League football next season, resulting in Henderson subsequently signing for Brentford.

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“I’m delighted that I’m here,” said the former England international, who began his career in Sunderland’s youth set-up at the Academy of Light. “I’m very excited to get started and get going.

“I’ve always had huge admiration for the club and what they’ve achieved over the last few years, in particular, how they’ve grown as a club.

“I’ve been told how organised and well-run the club is, it’s very family-oriented, which I think is very important.

“When I spoke to Keith (Andrews) a few times, he was very good and very honest, and he’s excited to get started as well. He was another big reason why I wanted to come and try to help the club keep moving forward.”

Henderson’s experience and leadership qualities were touted as key reasons why Sunderland might have been interested in securing his services this summer.

The Wearsider has made 660 senior appearances in his club career and also boasts 84 England caps, and having lost a number of senior players from the Brentford squad this summer, Andrews was desperate to add Henderson to the ranks at the Gtech Community Stadium.

“When we became aware of Jordan’s availability, it was a pretty simple decision,” said the recently-appointed Bees boss. “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.

“With the void of experienced players leaving the building – Christian Norgaard, Mark Flekken and Ben Mee – it was important to replace that.

“What Jordan will bring is that he has been one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years. He’s been at the forefront of driving for titles and Champions Leagues at a fantastic football club.

“He also has experience at international level with England and, with that, comes a level of experience, professionalism and dedication to his profession – that’s the exact way we want to be as a football club.”



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