Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has praised Xabi Alonso's decision to sign experienced former England striker Danny Welbeck, describing it as a 'great signing' for Chelsea after the Blues' thrilling 6-3 Carabao Cup victory over Leeds United.
Chelsea appeared to be heading out of the competition as they trailed 2-0 at home to Leeds, but a sensational second-half comeback saw them score four goals in 12 minutes to turn the tie around. Cole Palmer netted twice in three minutes to level the score, before Pedro Neto put Chelsea ahead on the hour mark. Welbeck added a fourth for the hosts, and although Dominic Calvert-Lewin gave Leeds renewed hope with a 75th-minute goal, summer signing Valentin Barco settled any nerves with a fifth before Welbeck scored his second deep into injury time.
Welbeck's impact and leadership praised
Welbeck, who also scored in Chelsea's previous Carabao Cup win over Luton Town, has been brought in to provide leadership to a talented but inexperienced squad. Alonso moved quickly to sign the former Manchester United and Arsenal striker, who will largely play back-up to in-form Chelsea striker Joao Pedro.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Hasselbaink said: 'He's going to add a lot, come on! He's played for Arsenal and Manchester United, and did the business for Brighton. He knows he's not going to be the number one at Chelsea and he will settle for that. But he can give so much to the other players on and off the pitch. He will be talking to the other players and helping that way but also he wants to score and he will want to be on the end of things. It's a great signing for Chelsea.'
Former teammates back Welbeck's influence
Former Premier League defender Conor Coady, who shared an England dressing room with Welbeck, added: 'Everywhere he's been he's scored goals, but more than that he's a leader, a real leader. He's a top striker but his personality and what he will bring to the group off the pitch, nowhere will really understand the importance of that unless you're in it. He's a brilliant professional, as we've seen during his career in the Premier League, and I just hope he can go from strength to strength playing for Chelsea.'
Welbeck featured in Chelsea's match programme for the visit of Leeds and discussed his first few weeks at Stamford Bridge. The 35-year-old said: 'I feel very privileged to make the switch to Chelsea. It's such a big club. At this stage of my career, it's massive. I'm very honoured to receive the chance to come here and to be a part of this project. It's exciting and one where I feel we can build something special. A little bit of talk is about my age, but it's just talk. I'm here to push on, to improve. I feel really good – fit, strong, and obviously last season I had my best goalscoring season. I'm ready to push on.'
What's next for Chelsea
Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday against newly-promoted Hull City, with Welbeck expected to continue in his supporting role as the club looks to build on their cup success.
