Trevoh Chalobah’s long association with Chelsea is to end after Como agreed a deal worth an initial £25.7m. The England defender’s departure was agreed on the same day the club completed the signing of Jordan Henderson.
Chalobah made 105 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and established himself as a first-team option during a number of turbulent periods for the club. The move will be seen as a coup for Como’s head coach, Cesc Fàbregas, with the former Chelsea midfielder pushing to bring the centre-back to Italy.
The clubs have settled on a package that includes £5.1m in performance-related add-ons and a sell-on clause. For Chelsea, the departure of another homegrown academy product – Chalobah, now 27, has been at the club since he was eight – will generate pure profit, a key factor as they continue to balance the books.
On another busy day in west London the new manager, Xabi Alonso, welcomed Henderson to the club after his departure from Brentford. The 36-year-old joined on a free transfer after playing 34 times for the Bees last season, a campaign that also earned him a place in England’s World Cup squad.
“Given the size of the club, the manager, who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Henderson said. “I was so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.”
With Jordan Henderson following Danny Welbeck to Chelsea, the club have shown a clear intent to sign more experienced players. Composite: Guardian Picture DeskHenderson came through Sunderland’s academy before joining Liverpool in 2011. He spent 12 seasons at Anfield, playing 492 games in all competitions, and captained the team to Champions League victory in 2019 and the Premier League title in 2020.
He left Liverpool for Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League in 2023, but six months later joined Ajax. He moved on again last summer to join Brentford.
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Henderson played six minutes at the World Cup before breaking an arm in a post-match accident after England’s last-16 victory against Mexico. He is Chelsea’s fourth English signing of the transfer window, after the record acquisition of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, Danny Welbeck from Brighton and the teenager Harrison Bettoni from Wigan.Gonzalo García has joined Fulham from Real Madrid for £34m on a five-year contract. The deal, which includes an option for the club to extend by a further 12 months, sees the 22-year-old Spanish striker reunite with former Real head coach, Alvaro Arbeloa. Garcia said: “I’m very grateful, very happy to be here. I have to thank the board and Arbeloa for the trust they’ve put in me, and I’m very, very excited to start.”Garcia had been with Real since joining in 2014 aged 10 and made 39 appearances for Los Blancos last season, registering eight goals and three assists.
César Palacios has also made the switch from the Bernabéu to Craven Cottage for an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder will wear the No 8 shirt.
