Chelsea Women: Emma Thompson off to Lewes after signing first pro deal

While Thomas Tuchel and the men’s team try to figure things out as quickly as possible before the Premier League season gets underway, the Chelsea Women have made another transaction. For the first time in her young career, 18-year-old striker Emma Thompson has signed her first professional contract through 2024. Following the signing, Thompson heads off to Championship side Lewes FC on loan for next season, becoming the club’s third arrival of the summer.

Thompson was in the Chelsea squad three times in the FA Women’s Super League last season and she made her first—and only—appearance in an FA Cup match against Aston Villa in January. Currently, there is a massive block for any attacker trying to make it in the team with the quality and talent that Emma Hayes has right now. However, with more time on the pitch, Thompson should see her game evolve from now until the end of next season.

Emma Thompson signs her first professional deal with the Chelsea Women

On top of a few appearances here and there in the FAWSL and domestic cup competitions, Thompson has represented England at a multitude of levels from U15 to U19. She netted a goal in a friendly against Belgium back in 2019 for the U15 English National Team. After Thompson confirmed her status in the English second division for next season, Lewes manager Scott Booth expressed his thoughts on her arrival:

"“She’s an incredibly talented young striker. She’s mobile, works hard, can go in behind, and has the speed and liveliness to get the right side of defenders. She scores plenty of goals – her goal ration in the academy at Chelsea over the past few seasons has been incredible … She also holds the ball up particularly well. She has so many facets to her game, she will complement the players we have. And with more game time she’s going to improve even more this season.”"

Last season, Lewes finished in eighth in the Championship, four points behind Sheffield United for seventh place. Despite being so young, and playing in a position where Hayes continues to improve the roster at the club with the best of the best around the world, Thompson has an opportunity like no other to take her game to the next level. From Charlotte Wardlaw to Aggie Beever-Jones to Jorja Fox and everyone in between, there were several Blues that got the chance last season in the Championship on loan. All three individuals got some much-needed experience. This is especially true when it comes to Wardlaw, who played in 18 contests and 954 minutes for Liverpool in the midfield, helping the Reds earn promotion to the first division. Thompson is looking to follow in the footsteps of Beever-Jones, Fox and Wardlaw as she heads off the Championship for the first season of her professional career.

Thompson is a born goal-scorer, who was exceptionally clinical last season for the Chelsea Women’s academy squad. The English U19 international netted an astounding 17 goals in 15 games in all competitions, starting in 14 of them for the Blues’ academy. She led the academy to a 15-4-2 record last season en route to winning the Southern Division with 50 points, seven more than the Arsenal academy. She finished third in goals last season at the youth level, but with seven fewer appearances than the two players in front of her. In one appearance in the 2020/21 season for the Chelsea academy, Thompson made the most of her outing, netting a hat trick.

The potential of a quality striker is there, but this next season will help the Blues decide where to go from here as it relates to Thompson. The world knows she can score at the academy level, but when it comes to the pro game, there is still a massive question mark. One season in a tough league should give Thompson more confidence next season to try to break into the squad as much as possible. She will also be able to improve her hold-up play, ability to teammates in open space and punish the opposition for each mistake—all essential qualities for a WSL-level striker.

Chelsea is possibly the most difficult attack to find a place in, but if this summer has revealed anything, it’s that Hayes not only has his eyes on the upcoming season, but the future. Signing Thompson until 2024 gives the Blues some time to see her at both the Championship and WSL levels before they need to make a decision on her long-term future. Being able to score at an effective level in the Championship at the age of 18 would make a statement to Chelsea and Hayes that she has the talent to be a serviceable striker in the WSL.