Welbeck signs, a proper No 9 arrives
Danny Welbeck is a Chelsea player. The 35-year-old signed a two-year deal from Brighton on Saturday, becoming the club's first fee-paid signing over 26 since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2022 (3) (8) (9).
He did not wait around. Hours after putting pen to paper, Welbeck was at Cobham filming his welcome message. "Hello Chelsea fans, it's Welbz here, I'm here at Cobham, can't wait to link up with the boys, peace."
The man himself called it an honour. "When you hear of interest from Chelsea, it's something that fills you with such immense pride," Welbeck said. "I've got that fire in my belly, and I'm ready to give everything for this club to make everyone at Chelsea, and the supporters, proud" (3).
Get the next Chelsea FC brief by email
This article went out to subscribers as a brief. Get the next one straight to your inbox, free.
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Spurs take the derby, 2–1 in Sydney
Chelsea 1–2 Tottenham in the Sydney Super Cup. The result landed hours before Welbeck's signing was confirmed (3). Not the pre-season derby outcome anyone wanted, but the real business starts soon. Your midfield had moments, Spurs had the edge when it counted.
Mudryk is back, Hong Kong reunion this week
Mykhailo Mudryk is returning. The FA confirmed his anti-doping proceedings are resolved, and Mudryk will rejoin the squad in Hong Kong this week (4) (5). Xabi Alonso welcomed the news publicly.
Mudryk had been training alone with a private coach and goalkeepers at non-league side Uxbridge during the ban. Now he gets the real thing. The Premier League has not seen the best of him yet.
Leeds want Delap, but he is not budging
Leeds United have made contact about Liam Delap. The £40m valuation is the sticking point, and Leeds will not meet it (1). Everton and Nottingham Forest are watching too.
Delap himself is not agitating. He wants to fight for his place under Alonso, even with Welbeck now in the building (7). That is the kind of competition Alonso wants.
Alex Scott odds tumble, Bournemouth contract rejected
Chelsea are odds-on favourites to land Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott after the 22-year-old rejected a new deal at the Vitality (6). Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool are all in the frame, but the bookmakers have your club at the front of the queue. One to watch as the window ticks on.
Quick hits: Jackson, Neto, and the gossip column
Nicolas Jackson has been offered to Beşiktaş, according to Turkish reports (9). Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca reportedly wants a reunion with Pedro Neto (10). And Chelsea had a bid rejected in the Andoni Iraola saga, though Liverpool remain the favourites for that one (2).
Fan reactions
The mood around Welbeck is genuinely warm. His full Cobham interview had supporters noting how articulate and driven he sounded, not the journeyman signing some feared [1]. The TikTok video did its job too, short and sharp, and fans ate it up [5]. One thread on the main soccer sub was less kind, but the Chelsea faithful have already welcomed him as one of their own.
