Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck signings would mark a change at Chelsea – and raise questions

Jordan Henderson is the opposite of everything that, for the past few years, Chelsea under BlueCo have been about.

The theme has been potential. Raw talent. Often equal parts unproven and exciting, often unknown, often encountering the Premier League for the first time. Take Estevao, signed on a pre-agreement from Palmeiras of Brazil to join last summer once he turned 18, or Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, or goalkeeper Mike Penders of Belgian side Genk, both 20.

There have also been more proven and experienced signings from within the Premier League, of course, such as Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo of Brighton & Hove Albion, or Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the overriding theme has been betting on enormous future potential.

That is not what Jordan Henderson’s mooted short move from west London neighbours Brentford would represent.

At 36 years old, the midfielder has the most Premier League appearances of any active player in the division and would be Chelsea’s oldest signing since goalkeeper Rob Green, then 38, joined from Huddersfield Town in 2018 (Green would never make a competitive appearance for the club). Thiago Silva, who came on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 at the age of 35, is the closest outfield comparison in recent times.

But now, as The Athletic reported on Monday, Chelsea are leading contenders to sign Henderson and are also exploring a deal for Brighton striker Danny Welbeck, who will be 36 in November. The Athletic also reported Chelsea’s interest in John Stones, 32, after he departed Manchester City as a free agent last month — though Inter of Italy are now in negotiations to sign him.

The noises coming from Stamford Bridge at the end of last season, after Chelsea’s springtime collapse and the sacking of short-lived head coach Liam Rosenior, suggested that things would change. There would be lessons learnt and more ready-made players added. Some supporters may have been sceptical at the time — but if these two deals end up getting done, if nothing else, Chelsea could not be accused of refusing to budge from their previous approach.

Like any overhaul, this needs to be done with care.

The case for change is obvious. Chelsea looked too vulnerable last season, too liable to panic and drop points from what should have been positions of strength, and were ill-disciplined.

Cucurella, who has since moved to Real Madrid for €60million (£51.3m; $68.2m at the current rates), told The Athletic in March that Chelsea “paid the price” for their lack of experience in their painful Champions League exit to Paris Saint-Germain, losing 8-2 on aggregate in a tie where they were level at 2-2 after 70 minutes of the first leg with the decider at Stamford Bridge to come.

Rosenior, in a press conference in the weeks after that defeat, reiterated a need to bring in players with “emotional stability” and “who, in difficult moments, can understand what it takes to win”.

From that perspective, it is easy to see why Chelsea’s dramatic swing in strategy has led them to Henderson.

Brentford head coach Keith Andrews, upon his signing this time last year, called the former Liverpool and England captain “one of the most influential leaders in modern Premier League years” and someone who would “drive standards”.  England head coach Thomas Tuchel has praised his leadership, as have team-mates at the recent World Cup including Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.

There seems to be almost universal praise for Henderson’s impact on a dressing room — something Chelsea need, based on the way they appeared to lack motivation and direction in the second half of last season. Leadership is also one factor in Welbeck’s appeal to new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso.

To many observers at the end of last season, it became clear a rebuild was needed at Chelsea in terms of standards and mentality. But remodelling is also needed in their play on the pitch, and that is where this experience-led recruitment drive needs to be carried out thoughtfully.

Henderson and Welbeck would, rightly, dispute the idea that they are both only under consideration for their experience.

Welbeck has had the two highest-scoring campaigns of his 18-season Premier League career over the past two years, and Chelsea know his goal threat all too well from his record against them.

Henderson made 32 Premier League appearances for Brentford last season, starting 22 of them. He is a reliable contributor who should be able to help Chelsea exert a level of control over games they have struggled to achieve at times — of course, once he recovers from the broken arm sustained in a fall while jumping over a pitchside advertising board during the celebrations at the end of England’s World Cup last-16 victory against Mexico at their mile-high Estadio Azteca fortress.

The longevity of both these players in the Premier League is testament to their quality. However, their ages mean they are not long-term solutions — and in a season with no European competition for Chelsea, Alonso would need to give careful thought to how to manage their roles in the squad.

Henderson was a key figure in England’s World Cup squad, even after his injury (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

Henderson might have been content with limited minutes for England this summer, but he has been used to a substantial role at Brentford. Likewise, Welbeck played in all but one of Brighton’s league games last season, starting 26.

At Chelsea, Henderson could compete for one of two holding midfield spots with Caicedo, Reece James (should he continue to be used in midfield), Romeo Lavia, Dario Essugo and possibly Enzo Fernandez, given Morgan Rogers’ arrival in attack. For Welbeck, Chelsea already have his former Brighton team-mate Joao Pedro, plus Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson, newcomer Emmanuel Emegha and Marc Guiu as strikers.

With only 40 games guaranteed this season, there are unlikely to be enough minutes to go around.

There will clearly need to be some exits among those named above, and Chelsea were already looking at slimming down the centre-forward department before the news of their interest in Welbeck emerged. But given Henderson and Welbeck’s ages, should they join, Chelsea need to be mindful of not blocking the pathway of their younger players — a warning that might have felt laughable a year ago.

But both men, presumably, have been around long enough to understand that any club that signs them will need to already be thinking about life after them.

If both buy into the Chelsea rebuild under Alonso on the understanding of a more limited role, that is a real positive. It can help create healthy competition in the dressing room, role models for Chelsea’s youngsters, and a different, more experienced set of tools with which to tackle difficult game states — the sort of characteristics that may have led to key games last season having a different outcome.

It is also important to point out these are not the only additions Chelsea have made/are making.

As well as the interest in Henderson’s steadiness, there has been the enormous outlay on Rogers’ dynamism. A deal is being finalised for Crystal Palace central defender Maxence Lacroix, who at 26 is in his peak, rather than veteran, years. Marco Palestra, a 21-year-old right-back or wing-back, has arrived from Atalanta of Italy on a seven-year deal.

There is a startling variety in this recruitment — and also a startling amount of money spent. The fact Henderson would arrive on a free transfer should not be overlooked as a positive for Chelsea, who are under a settlement agreement with UEFA for breaches of their financial rules.

Chelsea could never be accused of a half-hearted approach to their youth-driven model — and as it turns out, they have approached their push for experience with similar vigour.

It is quite the dramatic swing and the hope is that, when the dust settles on what is turning out to be a remarkable transfer window in west London, Alonso will have the tools he needs to bring some balance to life at Stamford Bridge.