In the first transfer window of the Todd Boehly era, Chelsea Women were expected to strengthen following the loss of veterans like Ji So-Yun earlier in the summer. Any doubts about whether Boehly would support the women’s team were settled quickly as the Blues made a number of signings over the course of the window to compete with their strengthening Women’s Super League rivals. In this article, we will be grading the Chelsea Women transfer window and looking at how they size up heading into the season.
Chelsea Women Transfer Window – Grading Chelsea Women Transfers, Sales, and Loans
Marquee Signings of This Active Chelsea Women Transfer Window
We can look no further than the acquisition of Kadeisha Buchanan as the biggest statement of intent in this off-season. The former Lyon player is a born winner who has been one of the best defenders in Europe for some time now. The Canadian centre-back has incredible on-ball skills and is a brick wall at the heart of the defence. With her on hand, the Blues are going to be difficult to break down this year.
Read More: Players to Watch in the New WSL Season
Summer Departures
- Drew Spence
- Jonna Andersson
- Ji So-Yun
While a few players left on loan the main departures at the club this summer were veteran presences Spence, Andersson, and Ji. All three have been with the team through thick and thin but left as their contracts were up.
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In addition to those three, the side has technically lost first-choice goalkeeper Berger due to a flair-up of cancer in her thyroid which leaves her on the sidelines indefinitely.
Thankfully for Emma Hayes, she kept all her star players on hand which is important for her ambitions of challenging in Europe.
Summer Arrivals
- Kadeisha Buchanan
- Eve Perisset
- Katerina Svitkova
- Johanna Rytting Kaneryd
- Jelena Cankovic
- Lucy Watson
- Agnes Beever-Jones
- Jorja Fox
- Charlotte Wardlaw
Three minutes added on. Keep going, Chels! 👏
🔵 2-0 ⚪️ [90’] #CFCW pic.twitter.com/roKcXEfMLv
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) August 28, 2022
There was a big influx of talent this off-season although a few of the younger names like Watson immediately went back out on loan. The main signings are those of Buchanan, Cankovic, Kaneryd, and Perisset. Not only was the defence improved a lot but the club made great tried in filling their current gaps in midfield.
Cankovic is a very creative midfielder who might offer a lot of what Ji used to, and with Melanie Leupolz sidelined indefinitely with her pregnancy there is a need for creativity in that area of the field.
Svitkova and Kaneryd may not be immediate starters but they will add some much-needed depth to a team that is aiming to challenge on all fronts this year.
Missed Opportunities
There were some links late in the window between Hayes’ side and the pair of Grace Geyoro and Nicky Evrard. Berger’s illness leaves the Blues without their first-choice goalkeeper and Evrard could have slotted right in after her impressive Euros campaign.
Geyoro is an elite-level midfielder who currently plies her trade for Paris Saint-Germain and would have been a huge addition to the midfield. Her club are said to have rejected a record offer for the midfielder and the deal never progressed afterwards.
Chelsea Women Transfer Window Graded
This was a very good transfer window for the reigning WSL Champions. They added one of the world’s best in Buchanan and filled the gaps in their midfield. The unpredictable loss of Berger does leave them in a lurch goalkeeper-wise but otherwise, this was a strong window.
Grade: B+
