Why Xabi Alonso wants to sign Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck for Chelsea

[p]Over the past few seasons, the Stamford Bridge faithful have become used to their club paying inflated fees for some elite-level players, so the acceptance that they need some experienced heads that are coming towards the end of their careers flies in the face of what's happened previously under the current ownership.[/p][h2][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/alonso-xabi/hAcTWKKN/"]Alonso[/a] behind [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/henderson-jordan/UFMlUD6r/"]Henderson[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/welbeck-danny/86PvpO11/"]Welbeck[/a] pursuits[/h2][p]However, back in April, Behdad Eghbali did note that their business model needed tweaking, though it's doubtful many thought that would include players closer to their 40th birthdays than their 30th.[/p][p]In Xabi Alonso, the West Londoners have a manager who has been there and done it all as a player, and knows exactly what it takes to make a winning team.[/p][p]There's no chance that the Spaniard won't have been involved in the discussions to bring Henderson and Welbeck to the club.[/p][embed guid="a488b2ed-0f0f-4b62-a977-65ad51be6475" url="https://x.com/OptaAnalyst/status/2046851151950229836" social-type="twitter" /][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brighton/2XrRecc3/"]Brighton[/a] man is still scoring regularly - his 13 Premier League goals last season were a career high - whilst it's abundantly clear what Henderson has brought to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brentford/xYe7DwID/"]Brentford[/a] during his time at the club.[/p][p]He, in particular, is likely to be a vocal presence and a commanding voice in the dressing room, and it will be interesting to see just how often Alonso will utilise the pair.[/p][h2]What next for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/4fGZN2oK/"]Chelsea[/a]'s current strikers?[/h2][p]Though there are already a number of strikers at Chelsea, it would appear that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/delap-liam/6cfkytBh/"]Liam Delap[/a] could be on his way after just a season, and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/jackson-nicolas/jXg8d5RJ/"]Nicolas Jackson[/a] is unlikely to be averse to a move away, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/aston-villa/W00wmLO0/"]Aston Villa[/a] apparently interested.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/guiu-marc/80tpt7hc/"]Marc Guiu[/a] hasn't made the impact expected, so he's another likely to be moved on, leaving only [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/joao-pedro/CAmJERl2/"]Joao Pedro[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/emegha-emanuel/by8Xcffd/"]Emmanuel Emegha[/a] as recognised front men.[/p][embed guid="4edb9a22-4035-49c7-89e4-19648b45427f" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2078576995407896951" social-type="twitter" /][p]Whether Emegha is considered ready by Alonso is a moot point at this stage, and with Welbeck having featured in 37 of Brighton's 38 Premier League games last season, he clearly still offers something at the top level.[/p][p]Indeed, Brighton appeared convinced that their striker could even take a seat on the plane with England at the World Cup, such was his form in 2025/26.[/p][h2]Henderson brings the highest standards to the dressing room[/h2][p]Just as with Henderson, his presence, experience and insistence on the highest standards will sit well with a manager and board who need to ensure that the youngsters have players to look up to, who set the example, and who will provide some seniority and guidance.[/p][p]If we want to look at why there's been a shift in focus, Alonso is clearly the driving force.[/p][embed guid="8620b30c-08a8-4885-a90f-9e5532135963" url="https://x.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1135128628033990656?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]At [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayer-leverkusen/4jcj2zMd/"]Bayer Leverkusen[/a], he appeared to favour a squad that had a mixture of youth and experience, and it was no coincidence that he already tried to sign [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/xhaka-granit/QBHCDKff/"]Granit Xhaka[/a] from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sunderland/WSzc94ws/"]Sunderland[/a] earlier in the current transfer window, only to be rebuffed by the Black Cats.[/p][p]In two seasons with the German club, he signed eight players aged 27 or over to complement what he already had in situ, so it shouldn't really come as any surprise that the Spaniard is looking to do something similar at Chelsea.[/p][h2]Youngsters haven't justified the financial outlay[/h2][p]The owners, who can only count a Conference League title and Club World Cup win as trophies won during their reign, have to give Alonso the benefit of the doubt regarding the pursuit of older players, simply because many of the youngsters recently brought in have performed well below expectations and haven't justified the huge financial outlay on them.[/p][p]Players such as [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/joao-felix/KI3YXMhi/"]Joao Felix[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mudryk-mykhailo/W03dbPp4/"]Mykhailo Mudryk[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/fofana-wesley/Aw7tVHPM/"]Wesley Fofana[/a] can hardly be considered a success, if for differing reasons.[/p][embed guid="eb3cb1dc-073e-4988-a3c6-fc3de9a580d8" url="https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/2049500996099870927?lang=en" social-type="twitter" /][p]Perhaps Alonso's modus operandi will also focus on bringing some stability back to a Chelsea squad that has undergone a huge makeover in almost every window since Clearlake Capital took over.[/p][p]If the Spaniard can hit a sweet spot that those who have gone before him have missed, he will get complete buy-in from the owners, who have to be seen to be backing their man at this point, even if Alonso's preference for more experience might not necessarily align with boardroom sensibilities.[/p]