For several months, fans have been awaiting for this move to be confirmed. Belgian international Nicky Evrard has been linked with Chelsea for a while. The club officially announced the signing of the goalkeeper on Monday afternoon following the defeat in the Conti Cup final. Belgian side OH Leuven and the Blues have come to a pre-contract agreement which allows the 27-year-old to move to west London on July 1, 2023. Her contract runs until the summer of 2026.
Goalkeeper has been one of the most intriguing positions for Emma Hayes’ team heading into the 2022/23 campaign. Neither Zecira Musovic nor Ann-Katrin Berger has solidified themselves as the team’s No. 1 heading into the final stretch of the season.
Berger’s age and the health scare early in the season are causes for concern going forward. For Musovic, she just simply has not been given enough time on the pitch for the west London side or internationally to prove herself. The positives for each of them are there, but the consistently just simply is not. Adding an experienced international to the goalkeeper room will challenge everyone, including goalkeeper coach Stuart Searle.
Belgian international signs with Chelsea after finishing atop the Belgian Super League heading into the playoffs with OH Leuven
Dreams do come true. 💙 pic.twitter.com/1qYFU2sohI
— Chelsea FC Women (@ChelseaFCW) March 6, 2023
Whether it was Berger’s FA Cup display against Arsenal, or Musovic’s stunning performance at the Emirates, Hayes has been what each of these keepers are capable of. Evrard will add depth, pushing out 20-year-old academy graduate Emily Orman. The English youth international has been the team’s third-string for the entire season, but it does not look like she will receive a chance anytime soon.
The Zottegem, Belgium native made a name for herself in the UEFA Women’s Euros this past summer. Evrard was one of the key reasons why Ives Serneels’ side made it past the group stage of the competition for the first time in the nation’s history. She finished the tournament with the second most saves of any goalkeeper with 20 through four matches. Her 85.2 percent save percentage was good for the fourth best of any keeper in the Euros.
Evrard was the only stop-stopper to keep a penalty out of the back of the net, and she did it twice. Hew soon to be teammate, Musovic has never saved a penalty internationally or at the club level dating back to 2017. The Belgian’s penalty saves in the Euros include one against Lyon legend Wendie Renard in the second match of the group stage.
With a berth out of the group stage up for grabs against Italy, Evrard pieced together a shut-out, saving all six of the shots that the Italians found the target on. During that match, She made a number of world-class saves, keeping her team’s advantage at one after her team found the back of the net just minutes into the second half.
Prolific shot-stopping ability on a world stage made everyone in women’s football take note of Evrard’s talent
Her show-stopping display which included seven saves against Sweden earned her the Player of the Match award despite the 1-0 defeat. Although she gave up the winner to Stina Blackstenius in the first half, there were a number of point blank saves throughout the match as Evrard kept her team in it until the very end.
Overall, despite her quality stopping shots, Evrard is still a proficient passer who is not afraid to distribute out of the back. The defending Belgian Golden Boot winner has collected 61 total caps for her national team so far. For OH Leuven this season, she has allowed just seven goals in 20 matches, leading her side to a regular season without a loss.
Her experience at the top of the international game gives her an edge coming to CFC this summer. Ervard complicates things even more in the goalkeeping department for the Blues. Despite that, she is a talented individual with a resume that shows she possesses the potential to become a regular every day starter between the sticks for a top WSL side.