‘The Chelsea performance was incredible. We did the basics right and then let our quality shine through.’

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Danny Welbeck reflects on a finale to the season that could end with personal and team objectives achieved

Bruce Talbot

2026-05-13T06:00+01:00

Albion are pushing for Europe and at the sharp end of it all stands a striker enjoying one of the best seasons of his career.

A Premier League winner, an England player and a forward long admired for his tireless work rate and tactical intelligence. Yet, this season feels entirely different for Danny Welbeck. It feels like a culmination. With 14 goals across all competitions – including 13 in the Premier League, placing him among the division's elite and leaving him just one strike away from taking the club’s outright record in the Premier League era from Glenn Murray – Welbz has transformed from a vital cog in the machine to the sharpest blade in Albion’s attacking armoury.

It hasn’t been an entirely smooth journey this year. Our push for Europe was preceded by a turbulent patch of form that tested the resolve of the squad. For Danny, overcoming that adversity was a testament to the culture meticulously built at the American Express Elite Performance Centre and on the pitch.

"When you're going through a tricky period, it's like who can you look to and who can you rely upon to say, 'Right, this is what we've got to do to get us out of this sticky period. We're going to move forward, take it game by game, train hard every single day, and then trust that the results will come.'"

The answer to that question lay within the collective. "I think with the incredible people we have in the dressing room and with the staff members, everybody together pulling in the right direction, it's definitely set us up in a good way,” he added.

Danny celebrates his 13th Premier League goal of the season against Chelsea last month. 📷Paul Hazlewood.

That "good way" was perhaps best summarised by the dismantling of Chelsea last month when Danny came off the bench to put the flourish on a 3-0 win with his 13th goal of the Premier League campaign. It was a performance that showcased a team operating at the peak of its powers.

"Once you've got that confidence and you've got the momentum of winning games it plays a huge part in the performances and that showed against Chelsea. I think the performance was incredible. Everybody was on it and we did the basics right and then let our quality shine through.”

Albion’s celebrations have become a talking point among the fans in recent weeks and Danny revealed that the origins of his one against Chelsea were heart-warmingly domestic.

"I was having a little bit of a kickabout with my daughter, just doing little goal celebrations. I was doing the Ronaldo one and she loved it as well," he smiles. "It wasn't planned, but she was really happy to see it the next morning when she woke up."

To understand Danny’s current prolific form, you have to look back at his footballing education and the physical adaptations he has made over a long and occasionally injury-interrupted career. Long gone are the days of him operating as a wide forward to accommodate others; today, he is the definitive focal point of the attack.

"Growing up at Man United in the academy pretty much all the forward players got taught how to play across the front line, whether you're on the left, on the right, up front as a No9 or as a 10 as well."

That early versatility was both a blessing and a tactical necessity. "In my younger days I was probably playing left wing or right wing and in a 4-4-2 back then as well. Now I've obviously had the rhythm of solely playing as a No 9 and it becomes instinctive. That’s definitely helped me massively, and on the physical side you learn a lot about your body and putting yourself in the best situation for training or for games coming up."

Danny with the Fabian Hurzeler, the head coach who calls him 'the connector'. 📷James Boardman

Despite the singular focus of his on-pitch role, Danny’s off-pitch responsibilities have broadened. Fabian Hurzeler has frequently praised him as a "connector" – the experienced player who can seamlessly bridge the gap between seasoned professionals and the influx of bright, young talent stepping into the first team.

"I can speak to the younger players. I can speak to anybody really and I can give them some invaluable experience. Hopefully I’m the type of person that people feel comfortable to talk to about certain things. It might not have anything to do with football, but it could be something that's going on in their private life. I'll always offer a helping hand."

Trust is the currency of a successful dressing room, and it's a currency Welbeck values highly. “It’s just having the right values. My parents gave me my principles and values in life and it’s about sticking to them. Not everything's going to be good and I've been through a lot of tough situations myself as well, so it's nice for me to take these experiences with me, but also try to lend a helping hand to the younger players."

With such prolific goalscoring form, it is inevitable that the national media has begun clamouring for Danny’s return to the England set-up, particularly with a World Cup on the horizon. He remains calmly self-assured without letting the narrative distract him from his club priorities.

"You’ve always got to be confident in your ability. I've played for my country and it's an incredible privilege. It’s nice for my name to be mentioned, but, honestly, for me I'm just enjoying my football because I know how quickly it can change. And I feel like with Brighton we've got some goals to achieve."

The secret to navigating this final, pressurised stretch is tunnel vision. The head coach’s ethos of "team first" echoes loudly in Danny’s assessment.

"If you do well as a team, then the individuals will shine as well after that. So first and foremost, for us it’s about doing the best that we can and then the rest of it sorts itself out after that. I felt early on in the season there were times where we thought, 'Oh, if we do this, if we do that, we could get a win here.' It distracts you. But with the mentality and the momentum that we've got now we just focus on the next game because that is the most important thing for us and what happens will take care of itself.

"Obviously, you can't shy away from it," he admits regarding the European ambitions. “I feel like we've done incredibly to put ourselves in this position now, but there are three really difficult matches to go. But we’re in good shape and it’s an enjoyable position to be in for us as players and, of course, the fans.”