Why John Obi Mikel won’t accept Jordan Henderson as ‘one of us’ at Chelsea
Jordan Henderson would not have been near the top of many Chelsea fans’ lists of top targets last summer, however he is already proving his worth at Stamford Bridge.
Henderson opened and closed the scoring as the Blues returned to winning ways in the Premier League in emphatic fashion against Bournemouth.
Two long-distance goals, including a rehearsed free-kick routine where he worked with Cole Palmer helped prove why Xabi Alonso decided he was best fit to play alongside Moises Caicedo in his first start.
Jordan Henderson starred in Chelsea’s win over Bournemouth, but who is the club’s greatest-ever free transfer? 🤔
John Obi Mikel won’t accept Jordan Henderson at Chelsea
A free agent joining the club does not need to do much to win supporters over, although it looks like this task will not be possible when it comes to former midfielder John Obi Mikel.
The Nigerian stated on the Obi One podcast that the England international’s ties to Liverpool make it very difficult for him to accept him as ‘one of us’.
He said: “I have Nothing against Henderson, he played for Liverpool, he’s a Liverpool legend, I don’t think he will ever be ‘one of us’, but he is playing for us right now and we have to support him, he’s doing the job.”
Many believed originally that the 36-year-old would only be joining the club to play a role in the dressing room, given how inexperienced the majority of the first team squad are in West London.
Alongside Danny Welbeck though, the duo are playing a role for the team on the pitch too, and are both scoring goals that could be seen as very important come the end of the season.
Chelsea were on a run of three Premier League games without a win before Bournemouth visited Stamford Bridge, and there was an air of nervousness around the ground before the game. This was put to bed early by Henderson’s second-minute goal.
Welbeck meanwhile has consistently found the net in the EFL Cup, scoring three goals in just two starts in that competition, already proving a better backup for Joao Pedro than Liam Delap ever was.
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