Chelsea sign Brighton striker Danny Welbeck
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Veteran striker Danny Welbeck will link up with Xabi Alonso’s squad on their pre-season tour.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Chelsea signed veteran striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton for £5 million on a two-year deal, marking a rare purchase of an older player.
- Welbeck, 35, joins new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso's squad to add experience after Chelsea's 10th-place Premier League finish last season.
- Welbeck is Brighton's all-time top-flight scorer with 51 goals, and his arrival may impact the futures of Chelsea's other forwards like Liam Delap.
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LONDON – Chelsea signed Brighton’s veteran striker Danny Welbeck in a deal worth a reported £5 million (S$8.6 million) on Aug 1.
Welbeck agreed a two-year contract with the Blues and will link up with Xabi Alonso’s squad on their pre-season tour.
The 35-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge is a break from Chelsea’s habit of signing younger players with the potential to be developed into stars or sold at a profit.
It is the first time Chelsea have paid a transfer fee for a player over the age of 26 since they signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona in 2022 when the striker was 33.
“When you hear of the interest from Chelsea, it’s something that fills you with such immense pride. Knowing the history of Chelsea, it’s a club that wants to win trophies and is pushing to do that every single season,” Welbeck said.
“I’m really honoured to come to a club of this stature at what feels like a really exciting time. I know a few of the boys already, and I’ve had fantastic conversations with the manager and already feel that connection.
“I’ve got that fire in my belly, and I’m ready to give it everything for this club to make everyone at Chelsea, and the supporters, proud.”
New Chelsea manager Alonso was keen to add experience to his squad after last season’s disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League.
He opted for Welbeck after the former Manchester United and Arsenal forward enjoyed a memorable campaign with Brighton.
Welbeck, who has 42 caps for England, scored 13 goals in 37 Premier League games last term after netting 10 times in 2024-25. In six years at Brighton after joining from Watford in 2020, he scored 51 goals and contributed 18 assists, becoming the Seagulls’ all-time leading top-flight goalscorer.
His arrival in west London will raise questions about the future of Chelsea striker Liam Delap, who flopped last season after signing from Ipswich, as well as fellow forwards Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu.
Welbeck is the latest player to move from Brighton to Chelsea in recent years after Joao Pedro, Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez and Marc Cucurella, who joined Real Madrid earlier this summer.
The Blues spent a British record £117 million to sign England midfielder Morgan Rogers, 24, from Aston Villa in July. They also landed France defender Maxence Lacroix, 26, from Crystal Palace for £52 million earlier this week and signed Atalanta defender Marco Palestra, 21, for £43 million.
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Brentford’s 36-year-old England midfielder Jordan Henderson.
Alonso will also have Mykhailo Mudryk available after the Ukrainian winger was cleared to return to play after being sidelined for nearly two years following a positive dope test.
He last played for Chelsea in November 2024 but was granted leave to return to action immediately on July 31, after the English Football Association resolved his disciplinary proceedings in agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Alonso said Mudryk would join the squad in Hong Kong for the next leg of their pre-season tour.
“I am very happy for him, for me also but mostly for him,” the Spaniard said. “We want him to feel part of the team because he’s been training on his own for so long. We have to see (about his future) because he’s not been playing for a long time.
“To be honest, we were not expecting to have this great news.”
Alonso was speaking after Chelsea lost 2-1 to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in front of a crowd of 80,363 in Sydney on Aug 1.
Spurs’ big-money signing Sandro Tonali opened the scoring in the 17th minute but Brazilian teenager Estevao headed home the equaliser four minutes later.
Half-time substitute Kevin Danso lasted just three minutes before he was sent off for pulling down Pedro and depriving the Chelsea striker of a goal-scoring opportunity.
Goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky made several fine saves to keep 10-man Spurs in the contest and Richarlison stole the victory in the last minute, tapping in the winner after Jamie Donley’s shot came back off the post.
Chelsea, who will head to Hong Kong for a clash with Juventus on Aug 5, kick off their English Premier League season at Fulham on Aug 24.
Spurs will be flying home for more tune-up matches before their season opener at Brentford on Aug 22. AFP, REUTERS
