Danny Welbeck will be the first to play for these three clubs if he joins Chelsea

Chelsea are interested in signing veteran forward Danny Welbeck from Brighton according to multiple sources and a move to the Blues would see the former Arsenal man become the first to achieve a certain statisitic.

The ex-England international joined the Gunners from Manchester United in 2014 as the 14th different player to appear for both clubs and his potential transfer to Xabi Alonso's side could set his name in history across the three teams.

If Welbeck is to join Chelsea, he would likely become the first ever player to make a Premier League appearance for each of Arsenal, the Blues and Man United.

Danny Welbeck could make joint-club history if he joins Chelsea

As reported by OptaJoe via X on Monday afternoon, no player has ever made a Premier League appearance for each of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, and Welbeck will likely be the first to do so if he is to sign for Alonso's side, labelling him as a "trailblazer".

17 players have appeared for both the Gunners and United while 33 have played for the two London sides and 11 have represented Chelsea and United.

Just one player has ever appeared for all three clubs in history and that was George Graham, who joined the Gunners from their London rivals in 1966 before heading to United six years later. His most successful spell came in North London, where he won the First Division and FA Cup double in 1971 after winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup a season prior.

Welbeck would be taking the reverse route to Graham, having started his career with United, where he scored 29 goals in 142 appearances ahead of joining Arsenal. He netted 32 times in 126 games for the Gunners and has played for Watford and Brighton since his departure in 2019.

The forward is reported to have agreed terms with Chelsea and, along with Jordan Henderson, is one of two experienced veterans they are targeting in a move that rips up their recent transfer strategy of focusing on signing talented youth prospects.

Having struggled in the latter stages of his time with the Gunners, Welbeck has reignited his career at Brighton, scoring 51 goals in 201 appearances. 14 of those came last season and with 13 coming in the Premier League, some were tipping him to be included in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the World Cup, but he failed to make the cut.

If he is to secure a move to Chelsea, it would offer him a brilliant chance to bring the curtain down on his career with a big six side looking to escape the serious problems they have faced since 2022. However, Arsenal fans may feel just a small sense of betrayal if Welbeck is to don the blue of their London rivals.

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