Chelsea have completed the signing of veteran striker Danny Welbeck, with the 35-year-old flying into Hong Kong earlier this week to link up with the squad.
The former Brighton forward, signed for a minimal undisclosed fee, wasted no time getting involved, participating in an open training session just 24 hours after landing in the city.
More than 15,000 supporters packed into the Kai Tak Stadium to watch the session, giving Welbeck and his new teammates a warm welcome ahead of their pre-season fixtures.
Welbeck’s arrival means manager Xabi Alonso now has six senior strikers at his disposal, creating a significant selection headache heading into the new campaign.
Alonso must now assess Welbeck, Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu, Nicolas Jackson, and Emmanuel Emegha, while also looking to offload David Datro Fofana, who hasn’t featured since May 2023.
Nicolas Jackson is among the most uncertain figures in the squad, having not featured against Tottenham during the Sydney leg of Chelsea’s pre-season tour last weekend.
Aston Villa are keen on Jackson, who is also said to be eager to reunite with Unai Emery following their time together at Villarreal, though Chelsea have yet to make a firm decision.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday evening, Alonso said of Jackson: “Nico is a great player. He’s a threat to play against any defence, so we want to have players that can compete, and Nico for sure is one of them.”
Alonso added: “We need to go day by day checking options, but we are happy that Nico is with us.”
Emmanuel Emegha, signed from Strasbourg on a pre-agreed deal, missed the Sydney portion of the tour with a hamstring injury but had impressed Alonso before going down, scoring in behind-closed-door friendlies against Crawley Town and Bromley.
The 23-year-old Dutchman stands at 6ft 5in but also offers genuine pace and direct running, giving Alonso a versatile option once he returns to full fitness ahead of the Real Sociedad friendly at Stamford Bridge.
Liam Delap appears the most likely of the six to leave before the transfer deadline, with Everton among several Premier League clubs to have expressed interest in the 23-year-old striker.
Chelsea paid £30 million for Delap just over 12 months ago and despite an underwhelming debut season, the club are seeking a profit, even though Delap himself is keen to stay and prove himself under Alonso.
Marc Guiu finds himself at the bottom of the pecking order, with Chelsea open to selling the former Barcelona forward if their £25 million valuation is met, though no direct club-to-club talks have taken place yet.
Joao Pedro, by contrast, is firmly going nowhere, with Chelsea having issued a hands-off warning to Barcelona when the Spanish club showed interest earlier in the summer transfer window.
The Brazil international, who was Chelsea’s top scorer in 2025/26, is considered untouchable by Alonso and is expected to be the first-choice centre-forward, with rumours also circulating of a new contract in SW6.
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