In a summer expected to be full of glamorous transfers, Chelsea have taken the somewhat surprising decision to target a couple of Premier League veterans. Indeed, Xabi Alonso appears keen on Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
Henderson won it all with Liverpool as captain under Jurgen Klopp before leaving in 2023, and spent last season with Brentford after spells at Al-Ettifaq and Ajax. Now 36, the Bees have confirmed his exit by mutual agreement, with the Champions League-winning midfielder expected to be unveiled at Stamford Bridge soon.
Welbeck is another experienced Englishman, and having spent time at Manchester United and Arsenal in his younger days, he's been at Brighton since 2020. The 35-year-old scored 13 league goals last term, the best tally of his career. Chelsea are said to have now swooped in and agreed a deal with the Seagulls over his transfer.
With a combined age of 71, it's not the sort of double deal you see often. With that in mind, pundit Gary Neville has offered his thoughts on the pair who both played for Sunderland as youngsters.
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Neville Speaks Out on Henderson and Welbeck at Chelsea
Jordan Henderson (England)IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis
Speaking to Sky Sports, former Manchester United defender Neville was more than happy to praise Chelsea for their approach. He accepted that it's a 'big shift' for the Blues, but insisted the club could benefit from adding 'senior professionals' into the dressing room. He explained:
“It’s a big shift. It’s one we’ve all been asking for. If you’ve watched Chelsea over the last three, four or five years, I’ve said there’s inexperience right throughout the club, right from the ownership to the sporting department to the managers.
“So what you’ve got is a situation whereby there’s just no experience. I think by putting a spine in of good senior professionals that act as guardians of good behaviours, responsibilities, disciplines in the dressing room, it’s not magic, it’s something that all top teams have had for many, many decades.
“So putting in Jordan Henderson, who knows how to win a Premier League title, Danny Welbeck, who knows how to win a Premier League title… their job is as much off the pitch as it is on the pitch. “
"They’re still good players, they can contribute maybe 25 to 35 games a season at a good level. But what they will do is all those young players there at Chelsea, they will make sure they turn up every single day, give their all, come back the same the next day and do it again."
Chelsea Have Lacked Leadership in Recent Seasons
danny welbeck
Neville spoke about how Chelsea have targeted youth in the past, but have perhaps been hurt as more experienced members of the dressing room have left. He noted:
“That’s been a problem. I don’t think the young players at Chelsea have had any particular guidance or leadership around them either on the pitch or off the pitch. They’ve now got people around them who can do that and know how to get around the block.”
The likes of Jorginho and Thiago Silva were key characters in the dressing room who were never really replaced at Stamford Bridge, which may explain why they have finished 12th, 6th, 4th, and 10th in the last four Premier League seasons.
While Welbeck and Henderson won't be expected to deliver spectacular individual performances on the pitch, they might just offer enough to bring the best out of their teammates.