Danny Welbeck’s proposed move to Chelsea has inspired talk about the one number you’re not supposed to talk about: his age.
The 35-year-old can also boast 90 Premier League goals in 400 appearances as well as one top-flight title with Manchester United. Yet, it is experience which appears to be the most important quality which Welbeck will bring to Stamford Bridge.
“We need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance,” Xabi Alonso warned this week. “We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.” To fit into the team, Welbeck will need to be associated with a new number.
Danny Welbeck’s Potential Shirt Numbers at Chelsea
Welbeck has chopped and changed squad number with each club. The 18 has been his home at Brighton & Hove Albion for the last six years but there have also been dalliances with the 10, 23 and 19.
There aren’t many gaps in Chelsea’s roster of digits. Marco Palestra has been handed the No. 2 and Morgan Rogers got the 17 after sealing his record-breaking move from Aston VIlla earlier this summer.
However, the 18 is available. Nobody has worn those digits at Chelsea since Christopher Nkunku ended his miserable experience in west London last year to find a similarly unhappy home in AC Milan. Should Welbeck be inclined to avoid a repeat of those failings, he could be in line for an upgrade with a little patience.
Available Jersey Numbers at Chelsea
| Number | Last Worn By |
|---|---|
| 3 | Marc Cucurella |
| 13 | Marcus Bettinelli |
| 16 | Lesley Ugochukwu |
| 18 | Christopher Nkunku |
| 22 | Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall |
| 26 | Levi Colwill |
Jersey Numbers That Could Become Available
Despite spending the vast majority of his career as a striker, and largely interpreting the role in an orthodox way; dispensing with any of that needless interplay to run the channels and battle with center backs, Welbeck has never worn the No. 9 at club level. The opportunity could soon present itself at Chelsea.
Liam Delap’s future in the capital appears perilous. The lumbering forward endured a dismal debut season last term, mustering just one Premier League goal from 28 appearances. After an underwhelming start to preseason, the expectation is that Delap should vacate the No. 9 in the near future.
Yet, whether Welbeck will be inclined to take on the ‘curse’ of Chelsea’s No. 9 shirt is another matter. “It’s something that people speculate about but it doesn’t mean anything to me,” Delap scoffed when confronted with the long list of strikers who consistently failed to live up to their lofty billing while donning that digit at Chelsea. Those words have come back to bite him.
