Why did Welbeck leave?

[Getty Images] Deputy Chairman Paul Barber and head coach Fabian Hurzeler answered questions from a live audience at the Amex Stadium on Thursday. Over the course of Friday, BBC Sport will bring you some of the key questions put to them and their subsequent answers in a series of posts. Fan question: We've had quite a good window for incomings, but we have also lost Danny Welbeck. There's mixed views and opinions on why he's left, and if it was the right decision. Can you clarify the situation and the club's angle on it? Barber replied: Danny has been a fantastic servant for the club with over 200 games and 50 goals. He is a great character to have around, on and off the field, but he is 36 in a couple of months. Sadly, he can't go on forever and, in those situations, we're very honest about where we see their future. In Danny's case, we didn't see him playing as many minutes this year, or as many as he'd have liked. We've got younger players that are ready to come in and play. We were very happy for Danny to stay. We weren't pushing him in any particular direction, but when a big club comes in for you at 36, and offers you nearly double in terms of time you have on the table, then you have to look at it very seriously. We couldn't and wouldn't stand in the way of a senior player who had an offer we couldn't match. We understand the emotion behind it, and we are all emotional because Danny is fantastic and has been for six years, but we also have to look at it pragmatically with a business eye. If we had started Danny for the first four or five games and his body broke down, there would be people saying relying on a 36-year-old is ridiculous and that we should've thought about it. We have, and Danny did, and we came to the conclusion that we think is right for both sides. We wish him all the best - just not for two games this season! Listen to the fans' forum in full on BBC Sounds here Come back to this Brighton page throughout Friday to find more questions and answers