3 Chelsea Women questions in the midst of pre-season training
3. What are the west Londoners going to do with Katerina Svitkova?
Out of all these unknowns, this is probably the strangest. Czech Republic international Katerina Svitkova was the only first team player on the list for pre-season training not included. The midfielder signed from West Ham United last summer, playing in just three Women’s Super League contests mostly due to her inability to stay on the field.
The 27-year-old looked to be on track with her rehab, competing for her country more than once this summer in friendly contests. It begs the question, what is her future in blue? On September 5, the day the team touched down in the home of A Selecao das Quinas, Svitkova posted a story on Instagram of her out golfing with her former West Ham teammate and new Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker.
Her future is up in the air, not only because of this, but due to the depth at midfield within the squad. A loan doesn’t make much sense for a player at 27, making it quite likely her chapter in west London may be over after just one campaign. It is difficult, especially in this case not to come to conclusions. Svitkova is a phenomenal player, and someone that has a contagious personality off the pitch, but sometimes it just does not work out.