Jordan Henderson quickly endeared himself to Chelsea fans
John Obi Mikel has drawn the ire of Chelsea fans after declaring Jordan Henderson will never be “one of us”. The England midfielder has been a surprise summer signing for the Blues, who have reined in their transfer policy to buy expensive young players with big contracts.
Realizing the squad needed more experience and leadership, the 36-year-old Henderson was recruited alongside 35-year-old veteran Danny Welbeck. The former Liverpool captain hit the ground running after recovering from a broken arm suffered at the World Cup.
After making his debut in a 3-0 defeat at previous club Brentford, Henderson helped Chelsea get back on track with a stunning goal in the Blues’ 5-1 win over Bournemouth. After his second goal, a sumptuous free-kick, he touched the Chelsea mark, which did not go down well with fans of other clubs, especially Liverpool supporters.
Meanwhile, Mikel admits he will try to warm to Henderson because of his Liverpool connections. Speaking on the Obi One Podcast, the former Chelsea midfielder said: “I have nothing against Henderson. He played for Liverpool, he is a Liverpool legend.
“I don’t think he’ll ever be ‘one of us’, but he’s playing for us right now and we’ve got to support him. He’s getting the job done.”
It seems Mikel didn’t read the room as those comments didn’t go down well with some Chelsea fans who were quick to turn on the Sunderland-born midfielder.
One fan said: “It’s not necessary. He has personal issues with Henderson? Why is he writing hateful comments when a player has decided to give it his all? Is Thiago Silva a Chelsea legend or a PSG legend.”
Another pointed out: “Henderson has already scored more goals in just two Premier League appearances for Chelsea than Mikel has in 249 appearances. Mikel is talking a lot.”
A third added: “We don’t need it right now and I’ll forever see it as a rubbish statement. It’s a shame for us, Mikel.”
A fourth argued: “Henderson can be a Liverpool and Chelsea legend at the same time. We’re fine with that.”
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso is also pleased with Henderson, calling his performance against Bournemouth a “complete performance”. The Spaniard said: “We signed him for everything. If he can score two great goals like today, we are very happy for him.
“But apart from the goals, he has done a lot of good things. I think it was a very good performance today.”
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