Chelsea are targeting moves for Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson, signalling a significant shift in their recruitment approach under Xabi Alonso.
At 26, Crystal Palace and France defender Lacroix is the youngest of the three targets, yet he is still notably older than most players Chelsea have signed in recent years.
It has been two years since Chelsea signed a player older than Lacroix, with Tosin Adarabioyo only marginally older when he arrived three months before turning 27.
Brighton striker Welbeck, aged 35, is keen to move to Stamford Bridge, while Brentford and England midfielder Henderson is 36.
The potential arrival of Welbeck could come at the expense of 23-year-old Liam Delap, who was considered one of the Premier League’s most exciting young strikers when Chelsea signed him from Ipswich Town last year.
This emerging pattern raises a clear question about whether Chelsea are now deliberately prioritising experience over youth following several difficult seasons.
The club’s recent history with older signings has been mixed at best, with Thomas Tuchel’s post-takeover spending spree in summer 2022 delivering largely disappointing returns.
Raheem Sterling arrived from Manchester City for up to £50m but struggled for form and fitness as Chelsea finished 12th in the 2022-23 season before eventually leaving on a free transfer in January 2026.
Kalidou Koulibaly joined from Napoli for £33m and was regarded as one of European football’s top centre-backs, yet the Senegalese defender lasted just one season before joining Al-Hilal.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang signed from Barcelona for £10.3m on the final day of that same summer window, arriving just days before Tuchel’s sacking, and struggled to make an impact under Graham Potter and Frank Lampard before also departing on a free.
The poor returns from those experienced signings prompted a clear pivot towards younger talent, with several high-profile successes following in subsequent windows.
Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for a then-British record £107m in January 2023, just two weeks after his 22nd birthday, and the Argentina midfielder has since registered 24 assists across the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons in all competitions, trailing only Bruno Fernandes and Mohamed Salah among Premier League players.
Moises Caicedo followed for £100m, rising to a potential £115m, and despite a slow start has established himself as one of the Premier League’s leading midfielders, finishing joint-leader for interceptions last season with 59.
Cole Palmer’s initial £40m fee from Manchester City has also proved exceptional value, with only Erling Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Ollie Watkins scoring more Premier League goals than Palmer’s 47 since his arrival in September 2023.
Not every young signing has delivered, however, with Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix and Wesley Fofana all struggling to justify their combined fees of over £170m for various reasons.
Mudryk, now 25, has been sidelined for over 18 months following an “adverse finding in a routine urine test” that led to a provisional suspension in December 2024, with the Football Association subsequently handing him a four-year ban that he has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Chelsea’s inconsistency across four seasons has frustrated supporters, finishing 12th, sixth, fourth and then 10th in the Premier League despite enormous investment and two trophy wins in the Conference League and Club World Cup.
Alonso’s experience managing Bayer Leverkusen suggests he is comfortable blending youth and experience, having signed four players over the age of 27 for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, including key contributors Granit Xhaka and Alejandro Grimaldo.
Owner Behdad Eghbali has acknowledged the need for change, saying Chelsea would “tweak” their model and add experience to what he still believes is a strong core of young players, including Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo and Levi Colwill.
Chelsea also attempted to sign 33-year-old Xhaka from Sunderland before the Black Cats refused to sell, further underscoring the club’s determination to recruit proven, senior figures as Alonso builds his squad.
