Our rival fans are scoffing at Xabi Alonso’s desire to add Danny Welbeck to his Chelsea squad.
OK, Chelsea signing a 35-year-old Welbeck does sound a bit funny, almost as funny as signing a 36-year-old Jordan Henderson (that’s a discussion for another day).
But considering the club’s need to add more experience to the squad, bringing in Welbeck does make a lot of sense.
And when you look at his numbers compared to some of last season’s biggest Premier League signings, maybe we should be the ones laughing!
Manchester United and Liverpool both spent big in 2025 to bring in Benjamin Sesko, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Hugo Ekitike, yet none of those forwards were able to outscore Welbeck.
The Brighton & Hove Albion man managed to score 13 goals in 37 top-flight outings. Sesko, Mbeumo and Ekitike could only score 11 times, while Cunha barely reached the 10-goal mark.
Newcastle United’s Nick Woltemade, who was also a big-money signing last summer, scored just eight goals. The German, Sesko, Ekitike and Cunha were all reportedly considered by Chelsea at some stage before their 2025 transfers.
Maybe, then, just maybe, United and Liverpool fans should think twice before laughing at Chelsea’s move for Welbeck.
Danny Welbeck to Chelsea out of nowhere! Share your thoughts below 😱
If anything, Chelsea’s owners probably deserve a bit of credit for turning to the likes of Welbeck and Henderson.
Their transfer strategy, which has been centred around signing young players with potential, has been criticised by everyone. However, Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have clearly acknowledged that it was not working and that more experienced players are needed.
Should they have acknowledged their mistakes a bit sooner? Perhaps, while critics will argue that experience does not have to come in the form of Welbeck and Henderson. For example, Robert Lewandowski was recently available on a free transfer, a much sexier name than Danny Welbeck.
But I think most fans would prefer to go into the new season with Welbeck than Liam Delap, who had an absolute shocker in the previous campaign.
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