Why Chelsea want to sign older playersImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Chelsea look set to complete a £52m move for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, with Brighton’s Danny Welbeck also emerging as a transfer targetBySimon CassonBBC Sport senior journalistPublished17 minutes agoChelsea are targeting deals for Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson – and the ages of the experienced trio seem to signal a major change in transfer tactics from the Blues.
At 26, it could be mentioned that Crystal Palace and France defence Lacroix is in his prime, but the £52m target is still notably older than other recent Blues signings.
It has been two years since Chelsea signed a player older than Lacroix, and Tosin Adarabioyo was only marginally older when he arrived three months before turning 27.
Meanwhile, Brighton striker Welbeck is 35 and keen to move to Stamford Bridge, and Brentford and England midfielder Henderson is 36.
Welbeck’s potential arrival could mean he replaces 23-year-old Liam Delap in the first-team picture.
That is despite Delap having been considered one of the Premier League’s most exciting young strikers when Chelsea signed him from Ipswich Town last year.
So does this signal a deliberate change in recruitment strategy – prioritising experience over youth? And what might Chelsea have learned from recent seasons.
