Top 10 Chelsea Women players of the Emma Hayes era

8. Eniola Aluko

The now former sporting director of one of the NWSL’s newest clubs, Angel City FC, Eniola Aluko was a part of Chelsea Women for eight seasons in the frontline. When Aluko returned to the club for her second spell in 2012, she took her game to new heights with Hayes at the helm. Aluko was a part of the west London outfit from 2007-2009 and returned in 2012 where she would play for the Blues until 2018.

Her role began to decrease with the inclusion of players like Fran Kirby, but Aluko left the club as the Blues’ all-time leading scorer, acting as one of CFC’s most potent strikers in the early days of the Hayes era.

She was the second player ever to be inducted into the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame. Aluko made 158 appearances in blue, netting 68 goals in all competitions before she left for Juventus following the 2017-2018 season. Aluko was the 2014-2015 Player of the Season, featuring in 25 of the club’s 28 games in all competitions.

She helped lead the Blues to a league and cup double. Aluko was causing fits all game for the Notts County defense. Her relentlessness paid off in the end as she laid off the game-winning goal to Ji So-yun, earning the FA Cup final player of the match for her performance as the Blues’ No. 9 through all 90 minutes.

She won the Golden Boot in the WSL in the next league campaign with nine goals in 16 games. Aluko would conclude her Chelsea career with five major trophies, winning the league three times, and the FA Cup on two occasions. Her display in the first Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley is one of the most unforgettable performances by a player since Hayes took the helm.