Replacing Beth
All Chelsea fans wish Beth well in her new venture, but replacing her is going to be a difficult task
Creating a great first XI is easy, having great players playing week in, week out, is something that any coach could manage with relative ease, however, keeping a squad happy, a squad that includes great players who might feel they should be playing week in, week out, is a more difficult challenge and one that, for the past three seasons at least, Emma Hayes has passed with flying colours.
Over two and a half of those years, Chelsea have been blessed to have the striking options of Sam Kerr and Bethany England, of the two, Kerr has been the superstar, because, well she was when she signed, golden boot winner in Australia, golden boot winner in America.
Her signing was a statement by Chelsea, and she’s scored the goals to back it up, even if England felt she already had it covered, winning the PFA Player of the Year in Chelsea’s curtailed title winning season in 2019/20 and a last minute winner in the 2020 Conti Cup final.
Kerr became the undeniable star, taking number 20 from Jonna Andersson, and England’s place in the starting XI.
Many have expected England to leave long before now, she’s had the opportunities, but despite dwindling minutes, 1,317 19/20, 1,070 20/21, 938 21/22, 294 22/23, has remained a valuable and integral part of the squad until this January.
With the World Cup on the horizon, and having watched on from the sidelines during the Euro’s, England must have felt that only by playing week in, week out, will she be able to claim the vacant England national team striker spot vacated by the retiring Ellen White.
Chelsea now find themselves in a situation that is probably more difficult to negate than if Kerr had upped and left. How do you find a striker happy to be second choice and put the needs of the team above personal playing time wishes?
Replacing Kerr, despite her excellence, is technically easier, just sign the best striker in Europe/the World at that time (which I know isn’t easy), but finding the right fit, having lost a perfect puzzle piece is going to be almost impossible.
Chelsea of course, could decide not to replace England, using instead what they’ve got to get them through the season. *Touch wood* Kerr has an extremely good injury record and has been available pretty much full time since her arrival, then we’ve got Pernille Harder and Fran Kirby who could play a role up there.
An outside choice would also be Katerina Svitkova, who’s two Chelsea goals so far have both been impressive headers. She’s played upfront in the WSL before for West Ham and has shown flashes, albeit it fleeting, that she could be a useful option for Emma Hayes.
The outside option, is 17-year-old academy player Aimee Claypole, who with 17 goals already this season is clearly already a level above the academy league she currently plays in.
But, because she cannot yet sign a professional deal as she doesn't turn 18 until November, Aimee is ‘trapped’ in the academy side. Chelsea could, as they did during a small injury spell a couple of seasons ago, move her into the first team squad, allow her to gain the experience of elite level training, coaching, preparation and match days.
You never know, like Emily Murphy, she might even score a goal or two.
Speaking of, Murphy recently announced she was leaving the Carolina Tar Heels, but a return to Chelsea seems unlikely.
We have of course, completed the signing of 18-year-old Japanese forward Maika Hamano, who will spend the rest of the season on loan at Hammarby. Which suggests Chelsea have another idea in mind to replace England.
If that’s not using the ingredients they’ve got at home, the names linked to the club are few and far between. Personally, I’d liked to have seen Signe Bruun, who spent the second part of last season on loan at Manchester United, come in as she has big game experience, but with Lyon’s injury crisis, that seems extremely unlikely.
Rachel Daly, who scored today against England’s Spurs, helping Aston Villa to a 2-1 win would be a great addition in my opinion. Is clearly good enough to score goals in the WSL and I’d guess a player who’d love a go at the Champions League but would understand Kerr is first choice.
However she’s only just joined Villa, is playing regularly and of course wants to be a striker, not a left back, for Weigman at the World Cup.
Coming up with the right name is difficult, but I’m happy to trust the judgement of Emma Hayes and Paul Green on this one.
Because in my opinion, replacing Bethany England is an impossible task.