Chelsea are reportedly pursuing deals for both Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson
Xabi Alonso has refused to deny Chelsea’s interest in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson while reassuring fans that the club are working diligently to build a ‘great team’.
Chelsea have moved away from their purely youth-led transfer policy this summer and are reportedly pursuing deals for Brighton’s Welbeck, 35, and Brentford’s Henderson, 36, eager to add greater leadership to a largely inexperienced dressing room.
Discussions to sign Welbeck are said to be at an ‘advanced’ stage and the player himself is understood to be ‘keen’ push through a switch from the Amex Stadium to Stamford Bridge.
And while Chelsea’s interest Henderson is yet to develop into formal negotiations, the Blues are believed to be among the ‘leading contenders’ to land the veteran England international.
The west London giants already made history earlier this summer when they broke the British transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in a £117m agreement.
Ask Metro
Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications.
Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra have also been added to Alonso’s squad from Atalanta and Sporting respectively, with Chelsea’s hierarchy splashing the cash following a wretched tenth-placed finish last term.
This afternoon, Alonso took charge of Chelsea for the first time in an entertaining 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers to kick off the club’s busy pre-season schedule.
Brighton & Hove Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers - Premier League
Welbeck is eager to join Chelsea this summer (Picture: Getty)
New signing Palestra came on to make his Chelsea debut in the second half, but it was Joao Pedro who stole the show with a stunning nine-minute hat-trick in the closing stages.
‘He’s very hungry,’ Alonso said of the Brazilian’s performance at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.
‘Joao is really, really determined to have a great season. After a great season, he wants to keep scoring more and more. We need to help him.
‘The players around him also need a hunger to score – it’s not just about the striker. When we win and our striker scores, we are happy.’
England v Congo DR: Round Of 32 - FIFA World Cup 2026
Henderson has emerged as a surprise target for the Blues (Picture: Getty)
Asked whether Chelsea’s links to Welbeck and Henderson pointed to a need for more experienced heads in his squad, Alonso replied: ‘I’m sure that there will be lots of things, rumours.
‘It’s going to be a hard task but for sure we need proper balance in terms of qualities, positions, balance.
‘We want to have a good squad and make a great team.
Further pressed on his thoughts and memories of facing Welbeck, Alonso sidestepped the question and replied: ‘Many rumours at the moment.’
Chelsea FC Unveil New Signing Morgan Rogers
Chelsea saw off competition from Arsenal to sign Rogers earlier this summer (Picture: Getty)
The match represented an opportunity for Liam Delap to send a message to Alonso after what was a difficult debut season for the striker last term.
And while Delap was unable to get on the scoresheet, the Chelsea head coach was impressed with the forward’s ‘desire’ and work ethic Down Under.
‘Liam is doing well,’ Alonso said.
‘He had a 60-minute battle against the centre-backs. He is doing well. He’s got a good desire.’
Alonso hopes his players are able to ‘learn’ certain lessons from their clash with Western Sydney Wanderers, with his Chelsea team back in action against Juventus in Hong Kong in four days’ time.
‘It has been a useful friendly and we can learn from it,’ the Spaniard said.
‘There were moments we were struggling for solutions so we need to correct that.
‘Our game-management, we can learn from today. They were pressing high and we need to find solutions. It will happen often in all the games.
‘The more situations we have like this, the better it is for us to find the solutions. It’s going to be useful for the future, minutes for everyone, no injuries.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook,Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Arsenal make decision over Bradley Barcola transfer as PSG set asking price for Liverpool
MORE: Chelsea told £30m star is ‘not anywhere near the level required’ for club
MORE: What Vinicius Junior has told friends amid Arsenal transfer links