In what turned out to be an eventful week for the Chelsea Women, the confirmation of Reanna Blades’ first professional signing which looked to have fallen between the cracks. Emma Hayes’ emergency surgery, and the lead up to Everton this past week put Blades’ moment of a lifetime on the back burner. Besides having possibly the best last name in the club currently, her pace and athleticism with and without the ball make her so valuable to the Chelsea Women as they look to grow the academy into a second coming of what the men’s team has.
Since coming to London, Todd Boehly has begun to build the Blues into what he has with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the United States. Blades is another example of Boehly not only giving priority to the men’s academy that has brought in plenty of talent over the past few months, but for the first time in the history of this club, the women’s academy is beginning to build up steam.
The 18-year-old English youth national team representative has played for the CFC academy team in the Southern Division since the 2020/21 season. She broke onto the scene last year, making 16 total appearances in all competitions, starting in 14 of them and scoring 10 goals in the process. The current Lewes’ loanee, Emma Thompson was the only Blue last season to net more goals than Blades.
So far this season, Blades has netted three goals in four starts for the academy team, leading Chelsea to a +13 goal differential, and a lead at the top of the Southern Division table in the early stages of the season. In what could be her last year of academy football with the Blues, the only question is how many goals can Blades score before she takes her shot in what is most likely going to be a team in the Women’s Championship.
Following the confirmation of Blades’ signing, Paul Green expressed his positivity for the future of this bright 18-year-old, stating:
"“Reanna possesses great pace, athleticism, and has the potential to develop further…She has performed very well at Academy level, and we look forward to watching her progress over the upcoming years in senior football.”"
Her form and clear quality at the academy level and the fact that she has played in a pre-season friendly against senior-level competition earned Blades her long-awaited first professional contract with a club that has put its younger players at the top of the priority list during the transfer window in the summer.
After she put pen to paper, Blades had some thoughts on her memorable day:
"“It’s a dream come true to sign my first professional contract at this club. I am honoured to continue my journey at Chelsea and excited for the future…I am appreciative of my family and coaches for helping me build both on and off the pitch, this is where the hard work begins.”"
From putting three of its academy products on loan this season for the first time in club history to the Blues going out and signing Lucy Watson from Sheffield United, Blades is coming into what is one of the most ambitious women’s academies in English football. Her equalizing goal in the preseason at the Emirates last season essentially tells the entire story of why Blades is so highly rated by CFC. Her dazzling pace, and ability to get away from her defender with ease on top of the left-footed are signs of a future winger at the senior level.
Green and Emma Hayes are going to learn a lot about Blades when she finally goes out and receives consistent minutes at the senior level. But with what has come from the England Under-19 international so far, it is difficult not to get excited about what the future could look like.