Loans within the Women’s Super League are incredibly uncommon, but for Chelsea, Emma Hayes wants to get her talented academy players a chance to play football regularly.
Some paths into playing time with the Blues in the WSL are more straightforward than others, but with some of the roster going out of contract, next season could be the year for some of the younger stars to find a way into the squad. Before the season kicked off, Chelsea had five players out on loan in both the top-flight, and second-tier of women’s football in England. Each one of them looks to play a significant role in their team’s successes this season whether it is contributing to the goal department or simply being a stable force in the backline.
Jorja Fox, Charlotte Wardlaw, and Aggie Beever-Jones are the first trio of CFC Women’s players in the same season to go out on loan in the WSL. All three of them went out on loan in the Championship last season, including Wardlaw contributing to the eventual champions, Liverpool with 18 appearances and one goal in the 2022/23 season. Wardlaw hopes to make her debut in the WSL this weekend, after having been unable to participate in the last fixture against her parent club. With Wardlaw knowing the system that Matt Beard is trying to execute, Wardlaw hopes to build on her 10 starts in the Championship, especially with the Reds’ leading scorer last season, Leanne Kiernan out for several months due to an ankle injury she suffered in the previous match against Chelsea.
Fox has arguably the best path into the Chelsea team in the future with its need for some depth on the wing of the Blues’ defense. In her first match for Brighton & Hove Albion, some will want to talk about Fox’s slip-up on the right wing that led to Kim Little slotting away the opening goal, but in reality, it was a quality outing for the 19-year-old defender. With the Seagulls going down to 10 players within seven minutes of the opening whistle, Brighton had its backs against the wall from the beginning.
Fox was arguably the seasiders’ best player in the back and was one of the key reasons why it took so long for the Gunners to find a second. She finished the last 38 minutes of the first half of play with five interceptions, and four recoveries, leading the team in both of those categories. It was just her second game of her career playing in the WSL, and the first contest of the season acts as a learning experience and something that Fox can build on heading into the rest of the season knowing she can stand her ground against one of the juggernauts in the women’s game.
The U19 English international, Beever-Jones put together a sensational campaign last time out with Bristol City in the Championship, but this season, one of the Blues’ most promising forwards heads to Everton to help guide the Toffees to a bounce-back season. At just 18 years old last season, Beever-Jones tied for the lead for most appearances for the Robins, netting five goals to go along with two assists. This past weekend, she started as the lone No. 9 for Everton in a 1-0 to West Ham United, but if Blues fans want a team to watch that is not Chelsea, keep an eye on the Toffees because the aforementioned player has a chance to become special in the final third. She is one of the most crafty players with the ball at her feet, always finding an opening even if the entire stadium thinks the play is dead.
On the Championship side of things, academy graduate Emma Thompson has a massive opportunity ahead of her. Thompson heads to Lewes FC for her first career loan, after netting a remarkable 15 goals in 17 games in all competitions for the Blues at the academy level. So far in the second-tier, every club has played at least three games, with Lewes drawing each of them. The 18-year-old is the youngest player on the team to have played over 100 minutes so far, and has led the line for the Rocks in every contest so far during this new campaign.
With more time under Scott Booth, Thompson should be able to play a full 90 minutes for the first time in the top line. Due to her scoring record in the past, goals are on the horizon for Thompson, and while her future may not be at Chelsea, this could be an audition for any club in the future that might want to utilize her talents in the WSL.
Not all of Chelsea’s younger crop of players will have the opportunity to shine this season. One of the Blues’ signings of the summer, Lucy Watson was supposed to spend her 2022/23 campaign with Charlton Athletic, but she, unfortunately, tore her ACL in training, forcing her to come back to Chelsea to rehab. Watson should be on track for a WSL loan next season despite the setback, after contributing at a high level in the Championship with Sheffield United in the previous campaign.
While some players’ futures may not be at Kingsmeadow, this season is a chance for these talented young stars to show Hayes what the future at CFC looks like. Just like in the men’s team, finding a way through the academy system and into a first-team role with the Blues is an extremely difficult task. With new extensions signed for many of the west Londoners’ most crucial players just before the season, all these loanees should feel the desire to take their games to new heights in a new league in 2022/23. For players in the academy still waiting for their chance at professional football, this year’s group of going out on loan could set the precedent for the importance of the women’s academy at Chelsea.