Another veteran in Chelsea's sights

For years, one of Chelsea's biggest problems has not been the lack of individual quality—although it is clear the club has not been at the level required to compete for the biggest honors for some time—but rather the shortage of experienced leaders in the dressing room. Whether that trend was caused by the coaches or the club's hierarchy mattered less, as Xabi Alonso is already working to bring enough experience into the squad he is building. After Danny Welbeck, the Spanish manager has now set his sights on another veteran footballer—Jordan Henderson.

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, Chelsea are actively working on signing Henderson at Alonso's request and are currently favorites to complete the deal, despite interest from several other Premier League clubs. Brentford are reportedly willing to let Henderson leave on a free transfer even though he still has one year remaining on his contract. The two sides have a very open and friendly relationship, and the club does not want to stand in the veteran midfielder's way, especially if he is moving to a team that could potentially challenge for trophies. Henderson was part of Thomas Tuchel's England squad at the World Cup, but his tournament was cut short after he broke his arm by slipping while jumping over advertising boards during the victory over Mexico at the famous Azteca Stadium. He underwent surgery and did not play again, making just one substitute appearance during the tournament.

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Chelsea have already signed Morgan Rogers this July for a club-record 138 million euros, having previously brought in Marco Palestra from Atalanta for more than 50 million. The club are also expected to complete the signing of Crystal Palace centre-back Maxence Lacroix for 60 million. Although that transfer has yet to be officially confirmed, it will mark the first time Chelsea have spent a significant transfer fee on a player aged at least 26. Alonso has therefore turned his attention to bringing in more experienced players. Danny Welbeck has already arrived, while Granit Xhaka—whom Alonso worked with at Bayer Leverkusen and won the Bundesliga title alongside—remains a target, although Chelsea's 10 million bid was rejected by Sunderland. Henderson is now another priority, bringing with him a wealth of top-level experience, particularly from his years at Liverpool.

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The Sunderland-born midfielder made 22 Premier League starts for Brentford last season and came off the bench in another ten matches. Alonso is pushing for experienced additions to create a better balance in the dressing room, with players like Welbeck and Henderson expected to mentor the younger members of the squad and provide valuable leadership in high-pressure matches. One positive for Chelsea is that they will not be playing in European competition next season, allowing them to focus entirely on achieving the highest possible finish in the Premier League. The Blues are currently on a pre-season tour of Australia, where they will face Western Sydney Wanderers and Tottenham before taking on Juventus in Hong Kong.