RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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SportsMoney Why Is Chelsea Interested In Henderson And Welbeck? By Graham Ruthven ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I am a soccer writer based in the United Kingdom Follow Author Jul 29, 2026, 09:27am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Chelsea has been busy this summer. The Stamford Bridge club has broken its transfer record to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa with Marco Palestra also joining from Atalanta and Geovany Quenda coming in from Sporting CP. Chelsea has clearly altered its strategy ahead of the 2026/27 season.
This is reflected by the Blues’ interest in Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, both of whom are reportedly close to joining the Stamford Bridge outfit. Henderson is 36 while Welbeck is 35. That Chelsea is even interested in such experienced players says a lot about how the strategy has changed over the summer.
Xabi Alonso is remodelling the Chelsea team in his own image. The Spaniard is expected to recycle the approach and tactical set-up that worked so well for him as Bayer Leverkusen manager, hence the addition of a second number 10 in Rogers and a right wing back in Palestra. There is a plan in place.
Part of that plan is the addition of some much-needed experience and leadership. For a long time, Chelsea’s transfer strategy was to assemble a squad of some of the best young players in the world and develop them together. That, however, was a flawed concept, as last season’s lowly 10th place finish in the Premier League table proved.
This is where Henderson and Welbeck have something to offer. They could prove useful as squad figures, providing depth in central midfield and in the centre forward position, but Henderson and Welbeck are being targeted due to their experience at the top level. They will be mentors to some of the younger players in the squad.
“I’m sure that from today to the last day of the transfer [window] there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumours, so to be commenting on all of them, it’s going to be a hard task,” said Alonso when asked about the links to Henderson and Welbeck. “But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.”
“Balance” is the key term. Chelsea’s squad has been poorly constructed over the last few years and Alonso has been hired to point the team in the right direction again. He could use some experience in his dressing room and Henderson and Welbeck might fit the bill despite the peculiar nature of their transfers.
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