\n
Xabi Alonso has made it pretty obvious that he wants to bolster the Chelsea squad with experienced players this summer.<\/h2>\n <\/p>\n\n
\n
\nXabi Alonso wants to beef up the Chelsea squad with experienced players(Image: Photo by Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/p>\n
Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson could be key players for Chelsea in the early stages of the domestic cup competitions. The Brighton striker and the Brentford midfielder have been heavily linked with moves to Stamford Bridge as Xabi Alonso looks to bolster his squad with experienced players.<\/p>\n
football.london<\/strong> understands that the Blues have recently agreed on personal terms with Welbeck, whose contract at the Amex Stadium is set to expire at the end of the season. Chelsea have also recently opened talks with the Bees about the possible signing of Henderson.<\/p>\nAs it stands, it’s unclear whether the Blues will sign the duo, but it’s understood that each deal is progressing well and moving in the right direction. Welbeck and Henderson are unlikely to regularly feature for Chelsea in the Premier League, but they’ll have important roles to play during the festive period.<\/p>\n
Once the FA Cup and Carabao Cup are underway, rotation will be key as Alonso looks to keep his big hitters fresh in the race for Champions League qualification. The Blues have previously stumbled in the winter months, so Welbeck and Henderson will be tasked with weathering the storm \u2013 on and off the pitch.<\/p>\n
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! <\/strong>Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page<\/strong><\/p>\nWhen the Chelsea manager makes wholesale changes to his side, the Brighton striker and the Brentford midfielder will share the pitch with lots of young players who will be desperate to make a good impression. It will be the job of Welbeck and Henderson to keep them grounded, provide a platform for them to perform freely, and lead them through difficult spells.<\/p>\n
So, with that being said, football.london<\/strong> has looked at how Chelsea could set up with Welbeck and Henderson in the starting lineup.<\/p>\nHenderson anchors the midfield<\/strong><\/h3>\nIf Chelsea manage to sign Henderson, he’ll likely be deployed in a double pivot alongside either Romeo Lavia, Darrio Essugo or even Reggie Walsh. Whoever partners the England international will have the opportunity to learn on the job from a Premier League and Champions League-winning captain.<\/p>\n
Henderson will also be tasked with keeping the backline in check and ensuring the frontmen remain engaged. The 35-year-old may not be the most attractive name on the market at the moment, but Alonso has obviously identified him as someone who can help him take Chelsea to the next level.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nMorgan Rogers has previously offered a glowing verdict of Jordan Henderson(Image: 2026 The FA)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/div>\n
Welbeck leads the line<\/strong><\/h3>\nWelbeck could very well lead the line for Chelsea in the early stages of the domestic cup competitions. The 35-year-old striker will be tasked with taking the brunt of the opposition defence, occupying the centre-backs, bringing the midfield into play, and stretching the backline.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for Alonso, the Blues have a couple of exciting young forwards who just need to be steered in the right direction. In an ideal world, Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda flank Welbeck with Estevao Willian in a central role.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n
\n
\nDanny Welbeck has been linked to Chelsea(Image: Photo by Richard Heathcote\/Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/button><\/div>\n
Alonso raises the floor<\/strong><\/h3>\nBy signing Welbeck and Henderson, Alonso is simply raising the floor of the Chelsea squad. Last season, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior rarely rotated the starting lineup due to the gulf in quality between the so-called ‘A-team’ and the ‘B-team’.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, with no European football this season, the Brighton striker and the Brentford midfielder will likely only start for the Blues in the domestic cup competitions. Regardless of their minutes on the pitch, they’ll have a tremendous impact on the squad behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
Chelsea starting lineup with Welbeck and Henderson in full:<\/strong> Mike Penders; Landon Emenalo, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Marco Palestra; Jordan Henderson, Romeo Lavia; Jamie Gittens, Estevao Willian, Geovany Quenda; Danny Welbeck.<\/p>\n\n
\n
Get Chelsea’s new 2026\/27 away kit<\/p>\n
\n
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
from \u00a354.99<\/p>\n
Chelsea FC<\/p>\n
Buy Now on Chelsea FC<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
Chelsea have launched their new away kit for the 2026\/27 season, said to be a celebration of the club’s ‘Italian Renaissance’. It’s designed with a black base and gold trim in tribute to their transformative 1990s era.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Xabi Alonso has made it pretty obvious that he wants to bolster the Chelsea squad…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}