Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso responds to Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson transfer links

Chelsea are reportedly pursuing deals for both Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson

Xabi Alonso has refused to deny Chelsea’s interest in Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson while reassuring fans that the club are working diligently to build a ‘great team’ for the new season.

Chelsea have moved away from their purely youth-led transfer policy this summer and are reportedly pursuing deals for Brighton’s Welbeck, 35, and Brentford’s Henderson, 36, eager to add greater leadership to a largely inexperienced dressing room.

Discussions to sign Welbeck are said to be at an ‘advanced’ stage and the player himself is understood to be ‘keen’ push through a switch from the Amex Stadium to Stamford Bridge.

And while Chelsea’s interest Henderson is yet to develop into formal negotiations, the Blues are believed to be among the ‘leading contenders’ to land the veteran England international.

The west London giants already made history earlier this summer when they beat bitter rivals Arsenal to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa in a £117m agreement – a record fee for a British player.

Geovany Quenda and Marco Palestra have also been added to Alonso’s squad from Sporting and Atalanta respectively, with Chelsea’s hierarchy splashing the cash following a wretched tenth-placed finish last term.

Chelsea fans got the chance to see Alonso in the dugout for the first time this afternoon as the club kicked off their busy pre-season schedule with an entertaining 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers.

Welbeck is eager to join Chelsea this summer (Picture: Getty)

New signing Palestra came on to make his Chelsea debut in the second half, but it was Joao Pedro who stole the show with a stunning nine-minute hat-trick in the closing stages.

‘He’s very hungry,’ Alonso said of the Brazilian’s performance at Sydney’s Accor Stadium.

‘Joao is really, really determined to have a great season. After a great season, he wants to keep scoring more and more. We need to help him.

‘The players around him also need a hunger to score – it’s not just about the striker. When we win and our striker scores, we are happy.’

Henderson has emerged as a surprise target for the Blues (Picture: Getty)

Asked whether Chelsea’s links to Welbeck and Henderson pointed to a need for more experienced heads in his squad, Alonso replied: ‘I’m sure that from today until the last day of the transfer window there will be a lot of links and a lot of rumours.

‘So to be commenting on all of them, it’s going to be a hard task. But for sure we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in termsof positions, in terms of balance.

‘We want to have a complete squad and make a great team. We have a plan and let’s say that until the start of the Premier League… until then, we will see.’

Further pressed on his thoughts and memories of facing Welbeck, Alonso sidestepped the question and replied: ‘Many rumours at the moment.’

Chelsea saw off competition from Arsenal to sign Rogers earlier this summer (Picture: Getty)

The match represented an opportunity for Liam Delap to send a message to Alonso after what was a difficult debut season for the striker last term, in which he managed just two goals in 41 appearances.

And while Delap was unable to get himself on the scoresheet Down Under, the Chelsea head coach was impressed with the forward’s ‘desire’ and work ethic in the friendly.

‘Liam is doing well,’ Alonso said.

‘He had a 60-minute battle against the centre-backs. He is doing well. He’s got a good desire.’

Alonso hopes his players are able to ‘learn’ certain lessons from their clash with Western Sydney Wanderers, with his Chelsea team back in action against Juventus in Hong Kong in four days’ time.