Femke Liefting - AZ Alkmaar - Undisclosed Fee
Rounding out the signings for the January transfer window is young Dutch goalkeeper Femke Liefting who joins the Blues from AZ Alkmaar for an undisclosed fee. Liefting is just 20 years old but comes to London with loads of starting experience, having made 50 senior club appearances despite not being legally able to drink in the United States.
Liefting started her career with VV Alkmaar and made her professional debut in 2021 when she was still a teenager. She is an exciting young player that the Blues have been tracking for years and is a signing for the present and the future. It is unlikely that she unseats current number one Hannah Hampton any time soon but she is oozing with potential.
The Dutch star was one of the standout players at the U-20s World Cup in Colombia last summer, was named the goalkeeper of the tournament, and won the Golden Glove award. The netherlands finished fourth in the U-20s World Cup and Liefting played a major role including two shootout saves to help them advance in the quarterfinals.
Liefting is becoming a fixture in the Dutch senior national team and has received two call ups though she has yet to make her full international debut. This is the type of signing that pays off in the future and is a statement of intent in a different way than the big money moves for Girma and Walsh. All in all this was an incredible transfer window for Chelsea Women as they continue their march towards a WSL title and hopefully a Champions League as well.