Brighton CEO Paul Barber defended the decision to allow Danny Welbeck to join Premier League rivals Chelsea this summer, saying it was in the best interest for the squad. 

Welbeck put pen to paper on a two-year contract with Chelsea last week, ending six successful seasons at Brighton.

The 35-year-old made 201 appearances across all competitions, scoring 51 goals and providing 13 assists, departing as Brighton's all-time top scorer in the Premier League (46).

He scored 13 goals in the Premier League for the Seagulls in 2025-26, equalling the record for the most by a Brighton player in the top flight (Glenn Murray in 2018-19). 

Welbeck's 14 goal involvements were also his joint-most in a top-flight campaign along with 2024-25, while only Ollie Watkins (16), Morgan Gibbs-White (15) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (14) netted more times in the Premier League than Welbeck last season among English players in the competition. 

The signing of Welbeck will also potentially see Chelsea field a player over the age of 30 for the first time since Thiago Silva's final game for the Blues over two years ago. 

And speaking at the club's pre-season fans' forum on Thursday, Barber said that Brighton "couldn't and wouldn't" match Chelsea's offer of a two-year deal for Welbeck. 

"We understand the surrounding emotion – we are all emotional about it because Danny's fantastic and has been for six years," Barber said. 

"We also have to look at it pragmatically with a business eye and also think about Fabian [Hurzeler's] squad opportunities in the season ahead."

Brighton have already seen a number of players leave the club this summer, with Jan Paul van Hecke the most high-profile member of the Seagull's squad to depart. 

However, players have come in, too. Costinha, Zadok Yohanna, Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo Rego, Michael Svoboda and Luka Vuskovic have all joined the club ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, where Brighton will also have Europe to contend with. 

Barber did, however, defend his decision in letting Welbeck go, despite the ex-England striker's stunning form last season almost leading to a surprise World Cup recall. 

"If we had started Danny in the first four or five games, and he broke down, there'd be some people saying 'Why are you relying on a 36-year-old?' or 'It's ridiculous, you should have thought about that!'," Barber added.

"We do think about these things, we obviously think about them very carefully, and we came to the decision we came to and Danny came to the decision he came to.

"We think it's right for both sides."

Brighton begin their Premier League campaign on August 23 against Aston Villa.