Fitness permitting, Saturday’s clash between West Ham United and Brentford could be the scene of a battle between two midfielders with nearly 600 Premier League starts between them.
An ‘incredible’ Tomas Soucek marked number 200 with a goal – a vital one at that – as the Hammers maintained the two point advantage between themselves and 17th-place Tottenham Hotspur when Everton came to town.
As for Jordan Henderson, Brentford’s very own Mr Consistency, Keith Andrews will be hoping to have the former Liverpool captain back from injury in time for the trip to East London.
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While his 36th birthday rapidly approaching, Henderson’s impact both on and off the pitch at West Ham United’s matchday 35 opponents have made fools of those who scoffed at his signing.
As Soucek joins Mark Noble, Michail Antonio, Aaron Cresswell and Steve Potts in the Hammers history books, Henderson is also living, kicking proof of the benefits experience can provide.
If only Graham Potter – the man behind the departure of so many long-serving West Ham favourites – realised that.
West Ham United enquired about Jordan Henderson before Brentford transfer
The ironic thing here is that, as Hammers News’ sister site TBR Football wrote at the time, West Ham were keen on bringing Henderson back to the Premier League when his contract at Ajax was terminated.
The 2023 Conference League winners lodged an enquiry regarding the 2019 Champions League winner.
This coming in the very same summer that Potter was telling Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Emerson Palmieri and Aaron Cresswell to find employment elsewhere.
TBR explained that, after talks with Keith Andrews, Henderson was convinced by the Brentford project. A claim he would verify when inking a two-year deal at the Gtech Community Stadium.
“I’m delighted that I’m here. I’m very excited to get started and get going,” Henderson said. “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.
“When I spoke to [director of football] Phil Giles, [technical director] Lee Dykes and Keith, I just had a really good feeling about everything. As soon as I had that conversation, it was clear for me that I wanted to come here.
“It was an easy decision in the end.”
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Graham Potter gutted an experienced Hammers dressing room
Now, this is not to say that West Ham should have moved heaven and earth to bring Henderson a few miles down the road instead.
Concerns over a lack of quality in the centre of the park, and overall experience in the squad, have been dispelled in recent times. Mateus Fernandes and Tomas Soucek have stepped up under Nuno while Dinos Mavropanos, Axel Disasi, Callum Wilson, Alphonse Areola and co provide a vocal presence behind the scenes.
Still, that Nuno was parachuted in in the first place – just four games into the season – highlights just how much of a state the Hammers were in at the end of the previous reign. So many leaders departing, and a club directionless, rudderless, and briefly hopeless.
Potter and former head of recruitment Kyle Macaulay spent much of last summer desperately attempting to reduce the average age of their squad. It can be argued that targeting Henderson while cutting Coufal, Emerson and Antonio loose epitomised the jumbled thinking that has gotten West Ham in this whole sorry mess to begin with.
Henderson missed Brentford’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on Monday through injury.
Andrews, a genuine Manager of the Year candidate, confirmed that the 89-cap England international is back on the grass though as he steps up his recovery with four matchdays remaining.
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