Chelsea walk away from Osimhen, choose Welbeck: 3 reasons it could backfire

Chelsea have completed the signing of veteran striker Danny Welbeck from Brighton & Hove Albion in a surprise transfer, Afrik-Foot reports.

The 35-year-old has agreed a two-year contract that will keep him at Stamford Bridge until June 2028 after Brighton accepted his request to leave during the final year of his deal.

The transfer is believed to be worth around £5 million and represents a major change in Chelsea’s recruitment policy. Since the club’s new owners took over, Chelsea had focused almost entirely on signing players aged 25 or younger. Welbeck becomes the first player over the age of 26 that the Londoners have paid a transfer fee for since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined in 2022.

Head coach Xabi Alonso wanted an experienced Premier League striker to add leadership to the young squad he inherited. Welbeck is expected to link up with Chelsea immediately on the Hong Kong leg of their pre-season tour.

The former England international arrives after enjoying the best Premier League season of his career. He scored 13 league goals in 37 appearances for Brighton during the 2025-26 campaign and finished his six-year stay with the Seagulls having scored 51 goals in 201 matches. His experience of more than 400 Premier League games is expected to help younger attackers such as Joao Pedro, Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap.

However, while Welbeck brings leadership and professionalism, Chelsea’s decision to abandon their pursuit of Victor Osimhen may have weakened their chances of ending their long wait for another Premier League title.

Chelsea walk away from Osimhen

Chelsea are long-term admirers of Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen but eventually ended negotiations after Galatasaray refused to lower their €150 million asking price.

The Real Madrid-linked Nigerian star was also unwilling to reduce his reported weekly salary demands of more than €360,000 or accept Chelsea’s performance-based wage structure. With Financial Fair Play rules still shaping Chelsea’s transfer plans, the club decided the complete financial package was simply too expensive.

Another issue was squad planning. Alonso already has several attacking options, including Joao Pedro, Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap and now Welbeck. Even if Osimhen move to Stamford Bridge, he would want guarantees that he would be Chelsea’s first-choice striker every week, something that will not fit Alonso’s rotation system.

Osimhen is arguably the biggest star in Turkish football at the moment. He helped the Istanbul club win another Süper Lig title, finished among the league’s leading scorers and has become one of Galatasaray’s leaders. Although Manchester United and Tottenham continue to monitor his situation, Chelsea have ended their interest and are instead looking to strengthen their midfield.

EPL title race: Have Chelsea fallen behind Arsenal and Manchester City?

Chelsea’s biggest problem may not be the signing of Welbeck itself but the opportunity they have missed.

Manchester City still have Erling Haaland, one of the world’s most feared goalscorers, while Arsenal have strengthened their attack with Viktor Gyökeres. Both clubs possess proven strikers capable of scoring well over 25 goals in a season.

Osimhen belongs in that group. At 27, he is entering the peak years of his career. During the 2025-26 season, he scored 22 goals in all competitions for Galatasaray, including seven in the UEFA Champions League. His pace, strength, movement inside the penalty area and ability to score with both feet and his head make him one of Europe’s most complete centre-forwards.

Those qualities could have transformed Chelsea’s attack. His runs behind defenders would have created more space for Cole Palmer and Chelsea’s creative midfielders, while his aggressive pressing would have fitted naturally into Alonso’s high-energy system.

Welbeck offers something different. His work rate, experience and ability to link play remain valuable, but at 35 he is unlikely to deliver the number of goals usually needed to win a Premier League title over 38 matches.

Title races are often decided by tight games against defensive opponents. Osimhen has built a reputation for producing goals even when teams defend deep and crowd the penalty area. Chelsea’s current group of forwards can share goals across the squad, but they still lack one striker opponents genuinely fear every week.

For many supporters, signing Osimhen would also have sent a powerful message that Chelsea were ready to compete directly with Arsenal and Manchester City again. Instead, Welbeck’s arrival is seen as a sensible short-term addition that improves squad depth without significantly raising Chelsea’s ceiling.

Whether Alonso prove the critics wrong will be a storyline to watch in the new Premier League season.