Chelsea Women: Sam Kerr isn't going anywhere, inks new two-year deal

We don't want to speak for all Chelsea fans, but our hearts were beating out of our chests this morning for those 20 minutes after 9:00 BST.

What looked like a moment of reflection that was then going to be capped off by a fitting farewell weeks after Emma Hayes began her quest in the United States quickly took a U-turn. Sam Kerr has been in West London for four years. A serial winner. A symbol of the growth of this club. If she had told us that she wanted a new challenge, almost everyone would have understood. That wasn't the case. A one-year extension for Kerr was reported in January, but this news was even better.

The Australian nightmare, as we call her here at "The Pride of London", is here to stay. Chelsea Women announced on Thursday at approximately 9:20 BST a new contract for Kerr that will keep her in blue until the summer of 2026. Kerr, who suffered a torn ACL back in January during a winter training camp in Morocco has totaled an astounding 99 goals in 128 games at Chelsea across all competitions. She is simply put, the 'Goal Scorer Supreme.'

Kerr even said it herself: "Do you guys really think I was going to end at 99 goals?"

58 of those finishes have come in the Women's Super League, trailing the now ex-Arsenal striker Vivianne Miedema by just 21 goals for the league record by an individual. Behind her leadership in the frontline, Kerr has helped lead the London club to 11 domestic honors, five of them being WSL titles.

Some thought without her on the pitch toward the tail end of this past season that the run in the league was bound to come to a screeching halt. Instead, the Blues went out and grabbed Mayra Ramírez from Liga F to fill the void, riding her goal-scoring threat and some luck late on to sink the hearts of Manchester City fans everywhere.

In honor of this thrilling news, the west London outfit will rename its two stadiums to 'Samford Bridge' and 'Kerrsmeadow' for a limited time. A sign is up at Britannia Gate from now until Sunday. If you ask me, I say we just keep those names for a few months, but we don't have that authority.

Currently, there is no exact timetable for her return to the pitch, but just a few weeks ago, Football Australia confirmed that Kerr will be out of the squad for this summer's Paris Olympics. She'll continue to rehab along with her club forward partner Mia Fishel, who sustained an ACL injury just after the Blues' No. 20.

"It’s really exciting and a very proud moment for me," Kerr described. "Having the opportunity to stay at a club like Chelsea means a lot to me. I’m really excited to continue to push and to try to win trophies."

Amid, the club's transition into its new chapter under Sonia Bompastor, some things will stay the same. Those concerns of a mass exodus have been squashed following Hayes. Kerr, a two-time WSL Golden Boot winner is not done writing her legacy in blue. Sorry, Arsenal fans. There are more backflips incoming.