Tottenham Hotspur will be eyeing their first win after a difficult start to the season as they take on Chelsea, where striker Danny Welbeck will be keen to make his mark being part of a new chapter under Xabi Alonso. Danny Welbeck opened up about the pride of representing Chelsea, his conversations with Xabi Alonso, and the leadership role he hopes to play in helping younger players develop.
Chelsea striker Danny Welbeck opened about the pride he feels playing for Chelsea:
“It’s a privilege, really honoured to play for a club of this stature. Chelsea is a club that pushes to win titles and improve each year, and I feel like it correlates well with me because I’m somebody who wants to keep on pushing every single day, trying to improve, trying to be better. The standards here are very high and that is exactly what you want as a player. You are surrounded by top professionals and a coaching staff who demand the best from you in every session. That pushes you to raise your level. For me, it is about doing my part for the team, working hard on the training pitch, and being ready whenever the manager calls on me. I want to look back at my time here and say I gave everything for this badge. Really exciting times, great project, and I can’t wait to win trophies with Chelsea. I’m thankful and grateful to play for Chelsea.”
On his conversations with Xabi Alonso and what it means to work under him:
“I keep speaking to our gaffer Xabi Alonso and I was really impressed with the way he speaks and how he said he saw my role within the team and the squad. The conversations with him are really helpful for me to keep improving my performance and understand what he expects from me on the pitch. I have a great connection with Xabi, I have worked with some great managers in my career. You take little bits from every single one. I’m really lucky again to be working underneath another great manager. Now to learn from Xabi Alonso is going to be incredible. To see what his work will be like and to see it come to fruition on the pitch is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
On the experience he has gained over his career and taking on the leadership role:
“You take a lot from every single person you come in touch with. You get to see all sorts of different characters, different mentalities. I grew up in a great dressing room where the characters there were unbelievable. That set me in good stead with my work ethic, everything I do every single day. I’ve played for some of the biggest clubs of the Premier League and some clubs are a little bit lower down. All that experience together has made me more whole as a person and as a player. I’ve got a lot of advice to pass on to some of the younger players. I think with my age now, you kind of fall into a bit of a leadership role. It’s come very natural to me because I’m always a person that’s wanting to help other people. I’ve had good role models growing up. The senior members of the squads that I’ve been in when I was younger and coming through. I’m here to offer advice. I’m here to improve myself and others around me. In the dressing room, I’m always a shoulder to lean on and to speak to. They can always come to me and talk to me about anything.”
On his journey to becoming a number 9 :
“In my younger years, I was playing on the left wing – right wing in the 4-4-2 formation. I didn’t really get into a real rhythm while playing as a striker until I joined Brighton & Hove Alibion. With my time at Brighton and playing consistently as a striker, that’s where I’ve really evolved into the player, I am today. Coming to play under Xabi Alonso, the way that football is played is totally different. But you must adapt to the modern game. I’m really looking forward to pushing on, progressing, learning a lot more from Xabi Alonso too. It’s going to be an incredible time, I’m predicting.”
On his message to the fans:
“What I can say is that I’m here at Chelsea and I’m really grateful and thankful for the opportunity. I’ve got a fire in my belly to give it my all for the club. It’s a really exciting time. A great project that I’ve been brought into and I’m going to give my best. That’s what will make the boys proud and the fans and everybody proud.”
