Danny Welbeck performed too well in his final season at Brighton & Hove Albion for the viability of the club’s recruitment model.The 35-year-old striker’s surprise move to Chelsea, completed on Saturday, is rooted in Brighton’s policy of providing a pathway for young talent from all over the world into first-team football in the Premier League — a selling point when talking to potential signings.These youngsters have been guided by a core group of experienced pros with model reputations, which for several years had included Welbeck. The squad’s elder statesmen set standards on the pitch and in the dressing room to help their more junior colleagues along their journey.Unfortunately for Welbeck, he exceeded expectations as a player, which left Brighton with a dilemma.The value of their veteran top goalscorer and forward-line talisman last season is depreciating year by year. Meanwhile, opportunities for Greek duo Charalampos Kostoulas, 19, and Stefanos Tzimas, 20, plus 24-year-old French forward Georginio Rutter — players bought for a combined total of around £90million in recent transfer windows — were limited by the continuing presence of Welbeck.Chances for Tzimas to shine following his move were limited by Welbeck (Photo: Carl Recine/Getty Images)Speaking to sources granted anonymity to protect relationships, The Athletic has pieced together the reasons behind the switch to Chelsea by Welbeck, who was talked-up over a possible England recall for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad after he excelled for Brighton last season.The former Manchester United and Arsenal striker made Tuchel’s long list but not the final squad for the eventual beaten semi-finalists in this summer’s tournament after the most productive season of his career. Welbeck led the front line to great effect, scoring 13 goals in 37 league games to eclipse his previous-best tally (also at Brighton) of 10 goals in 30 appearances in 2024-25. This makes him an outlier, since output and performance levels would normally be expected to decline with advancing years.In March, Welbeck agreed a one-year contract extension through to June 2027, triggered automatically by a clause related to appearances. He entered the summer intent on helping Brighton to success in Europe, after a second successive eighth-placed finish under Fabian Hurzeler secured a place in the UEFA Conference League.The picture changed before the start of pre-season, however.Welbeck hoped to have done enough to earn an extra year on his contract, until June 2028. It became apparent this would not be the case and that his game time was likely to be more limited in the upcoming campaign, in line with the club’s policy of promoting youth. Brighton would not stand in his way if an opportunity arose for him to move on, although they would also be happy if he stayed. Joining Chelsea on a two-year deal became, in the circumstances, an attractive proposition.