Guardian writers’ predicted position: 2nd (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)
Last season’s position: 1st
Prospects
How do you follow up on a sixth successive league title and a domestic treble, secured in the manager’s first season? For most teams the answer would be “with great difficulty”, but Chelsea are a different beast.
Terrifyingly, despite their domestic dominance, the Blues left room for improvement last season. As Sonia Bompastor told the club’s website: “We did well in terms of trophies and results last season but we were not always happy with the performances and didn’t show as much consistency as I would like. We’re working on giving even more clarity to the players for them to execute what we want them to achieve on the pitch.”
The difference going into the new campaign is they have a more settled squad and a more settled manager. There have been incomings, Ellie Carpenter the highlight, but this has been a summer of consolidation and of building towards the performances they want to see week in, week out. “I wouldn’t say there will be a big difference from last season,” said Bompastor. “This season, we will go further and in more detail on what we were trying to achieve last season.
“Last season was about getting to know each other on the pitch. Now, we are in a better position to go into the details of how we want to work together.”
The challenge of maintaining their stranglehold on the league title is getting harder each year. This season Arsenal are buoyed by their Champions League win and Manchester City are helmed by a new manager and welcoming back their injured cohort. Both clubs are desperate to unseat Chelsea, who face a stern test in the season opener when they welcome City to Stamford Bridge. It will be a chance for the champions to make a statement.
Chelsea are still searching for their missing piece, too, their tough exit from the Champions League at the hands of Barcelona only made worse by Arsenal’s eventual triumph. With Barcelona’s financial struggles well documented and Arsenal’s underdog victory a surprise, the European door is open for whichever team push hardest at it.
The manager
Bompastor’s first season was phenomenal. Improving on the success of the preceding season while adapting to a new country and culture with your family is remarkable and has resulted in a well-deserved place on the shortlist for the Ballon d’Or women’s coach of the year award. Known for being a ruthless competitor, Bompastor has proven herself a worthy successor to Emma Hayes. The Champions League frustrations aired by Bompastor and her team after they had secured a domestic treble speak to the drive and ambition of the manager and her players.
Off-field picture
Chelsea have never been afraid to spend big to get the players they want, with Naomi Girma’s signing in January showing that is not about to change. The women’s side of the club was controversially split from the men’s and sold to Blueco, Chelsea’s parent company, for £200m in April. The valuation was justified in May when the Reddit co-founder, and husband of Serena Williams, Alexis Ohanian bought a 10% stake in the club for £20m. Ohanian has spoken publicly about the big ambitions he has for Chelsea and the deal prompted a lot of teams to turn green with envy.
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Star signing
Chelsea have had a less star-studded window than in recent years, with the goalkeeper Livia Peng joining from Werder Bremen, the German forward Mara Alber coming from Hoffenheim and Becky Spencer’s loan deal turned permanent. The arrival of the Australia defender Carpenter from Bompastor’s former side Lyon is the highlight, though. Carpenter has twice won the Champions League with Lyon and has played in two World Cups and three Olympics with the Matildas. “Everyone has been so welcoming, the staff and the players,” she said. “I’m enjoying the sessions; it’s a great environment to work in, and it will bring the best out of me. It’s all very positive, and I’m excited to see more.”
Stepping up
There are so many exciting young players at Chelsea it is hard to choose. Aggie Beever-Jones and Hannah Hampton arguably had their “stepping up” campaigns last term. This season it’s Wieke Kaptein’s turn. The midfielder has shown flashes of brilliance when she has come into the side. “She just brings to the team a lot of quality out of possession,” said Bompastor when Kaptein played during the unusual four back-to-back games against Manchester City last season. “She’s a young player but she is really confident on the ball but also works so hard off the ball.”
It was a good summer for …
As with Arsenal, it would be unfair to not mention all of Chelsea’s Euro 2025 winners. Niamh Charles scored her penalty in the final shortly after coming on, Lauren James scored twice against the Netherlands despite injury struggles during the tournament, Beever-Jones shone in her cameos and scored against Wales, Keira Walsh is the metronome of England’s midfield, battling Lucy Bronze was sensational in so many ways and Hampton shrugged off Mary Earps’s shadow and then some with two heroic performances in penalty shootouts to add to a breakthrough tournament.
Main initiative to attract more fans
Chelsea announced way ahead of the season details of the four WSL games they will play at Stamford Bridge, in an attempt to get fans committed to showing up en masse. They mostly picked showpiece games, having previously tended to play lower-level opposition there, choosing their opener against City, their fixture against promoted London City Lionesses and games against Arsenal and Manchester United. They have sold The Bridge Pass, which enables fans to buy a ticket for all four fixtures. Chelsea supporters will have their travel subsidised and capped at £15 for domestic games outside London again.