Chelsea’s decision to sign 36-year-old Jordan Henderson earlier this summer had armchair analysts questioning what on earth the Blues were doing. But, the logic was sound.
Prior to Henderson’s arrival at Stamford Bridge, 28-year-old goalkeeper Robert Sanchez held the distinction of being the oldest member of a particularly youthful squad.
Over the past few seasons, many have believed Chelsea to be lacking supervision, dressing-room authority, and leadership, not least incoming boss Xabi Alonso.
Newcastle could be signing their own version of Jordan Henderson
New manager Matthias Jaissle’s preparations for his maiden Premier League campaign are well underway, but his squad is not yet complete.
According to reports in France, Newcastle are stepping up interest in Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – a transfer which if completed, like Henderson to Chelsea, has perhaps caught people by surprise.
The 31-year-old Dane represents a vastly different age profile to Newcastle’s other summer business, which has prioritised youth with arrivals like 18-year-old Sean Steur and 20-year-old Aladji Bamba.
But in a squad suddenly lacking experience, the merits of a Hojbjerg-type arrival are obvious.
Newcastle need to add dressing room leadership and fast. Their coach is among the youngest managers in the league, the club have reluctantly sold the club captain and their vice-skipper came to the end of his Premier League shelf-life.
Bruno Guimaraes completed a £75m switch to Arsenal last week, Kieran Trippier departed at the beginning of the summer, and Italian international Sandro Tonali exited for Tottenham. In one fell swoop, Newcastle have lost the heart of their side.
Jaissle’s squad possesses talent, but it is currently lacking natural leaders, and at a time when the club is going through a transition, Newcastle need all the guidance they can get.
This is why Hojbjerg, on paper at least, makes sense as a summer move. Boasting 254 Premier League appearances from spells at Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur, the Denmark skipper is widely-regarded as a consummate professional.
Make no mistake, Hojbjerg will not arrive as a direct replacement for Guimaraes or Tonali in terms of what he is capable of doing on the pitch. Instead, he is a candidate for setting the standard at St. James’ Park, much like Granit Xhaka’s impact down the road at Sunderland, or Henderson’s veteran presence at Chelsea.
Given the leadership vacuum left by Guimaraes and Trippier, it wouldn’t be the greatest surprise if Hojbjerg arrived and immediately assumed the captain’s armband. Although, there’s every chance local lad and England international Dan Burn will be handed that particular responsibility.
Chelsea, or more likely Alonso, recognised that Henderson’s experience was required to anchor their young squad. In the same way, Newcastle seemingly recognise that Hojbjerg is a steady hand who can help a new coach navigate a transition season.