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Ferdi Kadioglu (Brighton): He makes a massive block in the second half, which would have made it 1-1, and if the floodgates open it would be a problem. He is not known for his defensive skills, but he was great.
Jefferson Lerma (Crystal Palace): A centre-midfielder playing at centre-back. He scored a goal, made some big tackles, and was also was able to play out from
Emiliano Martinez: The Argentine did not face any clear chances or difficult set-pieces in the first half. There was little he could do about Brentford‘s opener. 6
Wesley Fofana: The Frenchman was a physical presence at the back and dealt well enough with Brentford‘s long balls but was taken off for Josh Acheampong in the 72nd minute. 6
Maxence Lacroix: He coped well with Igor
England midfielder Jordan Henderson has joined Chelsea on a two-year deal after his contract with Brentford was mutually terminated.
Henderson, 36, captained Liverpool to the Premier League title in 2019-20 and also won the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup twice, the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Club World Cup in his time at Anfield.
In 2023 he moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq, before joining Dutch side Ajax
Owner Behdad Eghbali said Chelsea would “tweak” their model and add experience to what he still believes is a strong core of young players, including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.
Welbeck joining Chelsea would be another sign of a shift in strategy.
Their move for him follows attempts to sign 33-year-old midfielder Granit Xhaka from Sunderland, with the Black Cats refusing to sell the Switzerland captain.
Although
England midfielder Jordan Henderson says he has had “tough moments” since leaving Liverpool for Saudi Arabia and could “have made different decisions”.
The 35-year-old was roundly criticised for leaving Liverpool in 2023 to play for Al-Ettifaq in a country where same sex-relationships are illegal.
Henderson had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and apologised for letting down or hurting anyone in the community when he left Saudi Arabia to
Henderson’s contract was ended a year early after Ajax missed out on the league title on the final day of last season. The decision was reportedly driven in part by the club’s financial difficulties, with Henderson their biggest earner.
The 35-year-old was involved in controversy during his 18 months at the club.
On 30 January, Henderson played in a 2-1 Europa League win against Galatasaray but refused to captain the
Cole Palmer (Chelsea): He scored a goal and although he didn’t get the assist for the team’s first it was an unreal pass for, as they say in America, an assist for the assist. It was a great ball and set them on their way. It just showed a level of class and when they take him off it looks like Chelsea at every single opportunity are going to lose