"Would’ve been insane...": Chelsea should have signed "amazing" Brighton star last summer, claims Joe Cole
- Barnaby Lane
- Apr 8
- 3 min read
Chelsea have made a habit of raiding Brighton & Hove Albion in recent years.
Since the summer of 2023, the Blues have snapped up Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, and Moises Caicedo from the Seagulls – spending a combined £202 million.
According to former Chelsea star Joe Cole, they missed a trick by not adding another name to that list last summer: veteran striker Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck, 34, is currently enjoying one of his most productive Premier League seasons, netting eight goals in 24 appearances. He needs just one more to equal his career-best return of nine, set back in 2011/12 with Manchester United.
Meanwhile, Chelsea's struggles up front this season have been well documented.
First-choice striker Nicolas Jackson has nine Premier League goals, but a mix of inconsistency and injury – including a five-game absence – has seen him go goalless since mid-December in a 2-1 win over Brentford.
Christopher Nkunku, on the other hand, has scored only three times in 26 league games and hasn’t provided the spark expected in Jackson’s absence. Youngster Marc Guiu was never given a chance to make his mark before a season-ending injury in February.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Cole – who won three Premier League titles at Stamford Bridge between 2003 and 2010 – shared why he believes Chelsea should have made a move for Welbeck before the current campaign.
"I’ve had discussions with people at the club and they want to get young players in, they want to buy potential and develop them," he said, per the Metro. “You can get your head around the financial model, but they also need some experience in there, two or three players, to help the younger guys and to show them the ropes."
Cole admitted that it "would’ve been insane to sign" Welbeck at his age, but added: "On the pitch, technically, it would’ve worked."
"Him as a player who has done it all, a good lad who can set the culture — that’s someone who springs off the top of my mind," he said.
Welbeck’s leadership has not gone unnoticed this season. Former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter praised the striker back in October, describing him as “quality.”
"He is a top player and a top person," Potter told BBC Sounds' Planet Premier League podcast. "Credit to the club – they didn't just recognise that it is about signing young players, it is also about understanding what older players can do for the environment and for the collective."
"Somebody like Danny is a role model. He can teach you how to act, how to be, how to condition yourself and how to interact with your team-mates at the highest level," he added. "Having players like him is just so valuable."
Chelsea don't need Welbeck, but they do need experience
Everything Chelsea says...
While Welbeck might not have been the perfect fit for Chelsea this season, Joe Cole is absolutely right in pointing out that the Blues have lacked experience – particularly in the final third.
With an average starting XI age of just 23.6 years – the youngest in the Premier League – Maresca's squad has been predictably inconsistent. That’s to be expected from such a young team, but failing to plan for it feels short-sighted.
At times, the team has also lacked a natural leader on the pitch – someone to lift young heads when they drop.
Again, Welbeck probably wasn’t the solution. But someone like Chris Wood might have been. The 33-year-old would’ve been available for a bargain before signing an extension with Nottingham Forest in January, having been set to become a free agent this summer.
Had he scored 18 Premier League goals for Chelsea instead of Forest this season, Maresca’s side likely wouldn’t be worrying about missing out on Champions League football right now.
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