Why Chelsea want to sign older players

Why Chelsea want to sign older playersImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Chelsea look set to complete a £52m move for Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, with Brighton's Danny Welbeck also emerging as a transfer targetBySimon CassonBBC Sport senior journalistPublished1 minute agoChelsea are targeting deals for Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson - and the ages of the experienced trio seem to signal a major change in transfer tactics from the Blues.At 26, it could be said that Crystal Palace and France defence Lacroix is in his prime, but the £52m target is still notably older than other recent Blues signings.It has been two years since Chelsea signed a player older than Lacroix, and Tosin Adarabioyo was only marginally older when he arrived three months before turning 27.Meanwhile, Brighton striker Welbeck is 35 and keen to move to Stamford Bridge, and Brentford and England midfielder Henderson is 36.Welbeck's potential arrival could mean he replaces 23-year-old Liam Delap in the first-team picture.That is despite Delap having been considered one of the Premier League's most exciting young strikers when Chelsea signed him from Ipswich Town last year.So does this signal a deliberate change in recruitment strategy - prioritising experience over youth? And what might Chelsea have learned from recent seasons.The summer of 2022 - Tuchel goes for experienceImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Chelsea spent over £90m in signing Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the summer of 2022In the months that followed the club's takeover four years ago, then manager Thomas Tuchel went on a spending spree.His first major signing was Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling - aged 27 at the time - for up to £50m including add-ons. After winning four Premier League titles at City and helping England reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, there was much excitement.Sterling at Chelsea didn't work...