Chelsea let Xabi Alonso break a tough transfer rule for a big Premier League move.
Chelsea might be shaking things up by thinking about signing a Premier League star, which no one really expected. Since Clearlake Capital took over as Chelsea’s main owners in May 2022, the club has been super busy in the transfer market. In the last four years, Chelsea has brought in 51 new players. Their latest big move was setting a British transfer record by signing Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for £117 million.
Out of those 51 signings, some have become club favorites, like Cole Palmer and Marc Cucurella, while others, like Mykhailo Mudryk, didn’t work out so well and might be remembered as one of the worst Premier League signings. Clearlake’s usual plan has been to go for young players who can become stars or be sold later for a good price. Since they took over, only two players over 30 have joined: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (33) and Kalidou Koulibaly (31), meaning most signings have been young talents.
Now, things might be changing. A recent Daily Mail Sport report says that Chelsea’s manager, Xabi Alonso, is thinking about signing Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion. Welbeck is 35 and has one year left on his contract. While talks are just starting, everyone seems hopeful the deal can happen. Alonso sees Welbeck as both a talented player and a leader who could help the team.
Last season was one of Welbeck’s best, playing almost every Premier League game for Brighton and scoring 13 goals. Some fans even felt he deserved a spot in England’s World Cup squad. If he joins Chelsea, Welbeck would probably be a backup striker since Joao Pedro is expected to be the main forward. But with Nicolas Jackson possibly moving to Aston Villa soon, Welbeck could still get plenty of playing time, which would be good for him as he nears the end of his career.
Jackson, who played under Unai Emery at Villarreal, might go for a fee around £65 million. Chelsea still has five strikers on their roster: Pedro, Emmanuel Emegha, Liam Delap, Jackson, and Marc Guiu. Along with Jackson’s potential transfer, Chelsea is likely planning to sell or loan out some of the other strikers too.