In 2020, when Danny Welbeck joined Brighton on a free transfer from Watford, nobody expected him to have too much of an impact on the pitch.
He’d have a similar influence to Adam Lallana or James Milner, a great part of the dressing room but never really providing consistently in matches.
Fast forward to 2025 and Welbeck is enjoying his best Premier League season since 2013/14 when he was at Manchester United.
The Englishman has scored seven league goals this season and impacted key matches more than Brighton fans could ever imagine.
Embed from Getty ImagesWelbeck insists the secret to his longevity is thanks to his parents’ “good genes” and assures fans that he’s not going anywhere.
Speaking in the mixed zone after the Bournemouth victory, Welbeck said: “As long as I can impact games then I’ll just keep on going. At this moment in time I’m not thinking about anything other than football.”
Against Bournemouth in game week 27, Welbeck made an instant impact off the bench, scoring the winner just three minutes after coming on.
Welbeck scoring match winners has become a bit of a theme this campaign. Across all competitions, four of his eight goals have won the game for the Seagulls. He is truly the man for the high stake moments.
Embed from Getty ImagesHis latest winner came in the FA Cup fifth round, where he marked his 150th appearance for the club with an 114th minute winner against Newcastle.
His chipped finish saw Brighton go through to the quarter-finals, where they will take on Nottingham Forest at the Amex Stadium.
If the Seagulls can get revenge for their 7-0 defeat earlier in the season, they will earn a to Wembley for the semi-finals.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s not just the goals that Welbeck provides though, his link up play has been second to none this season too. Amongst all Premier League strikers, no-one has a better passing accuracy than Welbeck’s 83.7%.
His ability to drop deep and feed passes into the rest of the front line has seen him register four assists this season.
The Brighton forward is a role model for many young players at the club, especially his fellow attackers.
Welbeck said: “It’s very exciting, they are amazing players. For me being a senior member in the squad I want to help them, give them advice.”
He added: “I have a lot of experience and I’m happy to pass that on to the younger boys.”
Embed from Getty Images EmbedBrighton are currently on a six-match winning run and face Manchester City next at the Etihad. The Albion go into the match as the underdogs, but Welbeck believes the best is still to come from his side.
He said: “There’s a lot more to come from us, we’ve got a lot more to give”
Since the Forest thrashing, Fabian Hurzeler has won over most Brighton supporters. There was plenty of skeptism when he joined due to his age. The 32-year-old manager is the youngest in Premier League history and is younger than players like Welbeck, Milner and captain Lewis Dunk.
Welbeck and Dunk have supported Hurzeler despite outside criticism. Dunk mocked fickle Brighton supporters at the darts with a sign with Hurzeler ‘out’ and ‘in’ crossed out multiple times to read ‘Hurzeler IN’.
Welbeck went for the more subtle approach and said: ” It’s difficult, we’re going through a transition period and we are all getting used to it but we’ve got a good culture in the dressing room and everybody works hard every single day.
He added: “The manager pushes us to our limits every single day and he’s always the one motivating us to do better and better.”
Welbeck’s influence at Brighton goes beyond his goals. His leadership, experience, and belief in Hurzeler’s vision are driving Albion’s remarkable run.
As Brighton aim for a final push towards European football, Welbeck’s impact both on and off the pitch will be more important than ever.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Isabelle Newnham
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