Chelsea have completed our annual signing from Brighton & Hove Albion. We may be changing our approach to transfers this summer, but we cannot kick this habit! Still, after spending nearly £2 billion on almost 50 incoming transfers since January 2023, we have finally signed a player over the age of 26! And only for a reported £5m, and on just a two-year contract.
Granted, Welbeck is well over 26 at this point — in fact, nearly a decade over. But he seems to have gotten better as he’s gotten older
(as we know all too well in recent seasons given his goalscoring record against us), and he brings the one thing that we cannot replicate just with datasheets: experience. Veteran leaders have been in short supply during the BlueCo era, so hopefully Welbeck (and the also incoming Jordan Henderson) can help fill that void.
“Trophies and winning. That philosophy resonates with me because that’s something I strive to do every single day. I want to win, to improve, to get better, and it’s a club with some great history. Chelsea have won a lot of trophies, and that’s something that I really want to strive towards as well.”
“I’m coming to the later stage of my career, but I’m as hungry as ever and as passionate as ever, ready to put everything into this next chapter. Obviously, with age comes experience, and I’ve got invaluable experience. I’ve been around the Premier League for a long, long time and I’ve been at some big clubs.
“With everything that I’ve experienced in my time as a Premier League footballer, I’ve learned so much. It’s given me such a good outlook about what I can do to help, not just myself, but others around me as well. I’ve seen a lot, so I’ve always got a lot of advice for some of the younger players who want to take it on board, and it’s amazing to be in this position. […] We’ve got some incredible talent here. It’s such a promising squad; there’s so much talent at this football club. I can’t wait to get involved.”
-Danny Welbeck; source: Chelsea FC
Welbeck will join up with the preseason tour shortly.
Welcome, Danny! And yes, let’s win some things!
