Chelsea ladies have announced the signing of Sam Kerr, the in-demand Australia superstar who has decided to continue her career in Europe.
Chelsea currently sit top of the WSL having won four and drawn the other one of their five matches so far. They are one point above both Arsenal and Man City, who have each suffered one defeat this season,
But they have been keen to add a natural born goal-scorer to the side and have been searching the globe for a possible new signing, and they eventually settled on the impressive Kerr, who was recently named the NWSL’s MVP after scoring 19 goals in 23 games for the Red Stars.
Widely regarded as one of the finest goal scorers in the women’s game, Kerr has netted 38 times for Australia. She hit the back of the net five times during this summer’s World Cup, with four goals coming in a single match against Jamaica, and she has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal with Chelsea, and will join when the winter European transfer window opens.
She said on the Chelsea website upon signing: “The WSL is the best league in Europe. I want team success and I don’t want it to come easy. I feel Chelsea have been building something special over the years and I want to be a part of that – I want to lift some trophies.”
Blues boss Emma Hayes is well aware she is lucky to have captured a player who could have joined any number of worldwide heavyweights.
“Sam has proved time and time again in the NWSL that she is a prolific goalscorer,” said Hayes. “She’s won the golden boot many times and she’s a player that can make things happen, but she’s also a fantastic team player.
“The fact she chose Chelsea when she could have gone to any club in the world is a testament to the players and the staff here because she saw this is the best place for her to grow and take the next step in her career. That’s a wonderful compliment to us all.”
However, despite the fact that he is only one of a handful of players at Chelsea that are considered to be world class, there has been a lot of speculation in the media that he could actually leave the club at the end of the season.
It has been reported, on many occasions, that the likes of Juventus and PSG are ready to pay the massive £100 million asking price that has been placed on the head of the Frenchman, knowing that Chelsea would take the offer if they felt that they had enough quality to help fill the void of Kante.
However, the France international points out that he has a contract with the Blues that runs until 2023 and is open to the idea of retiring with the London club.