Chelsea are in the middle of a rebuilding phase and, as head coach Sonia Bompastor told Sky Sports ahead of the new WSL campaign, "it takes time for the club to rebuild." Those words are not a generic pundit sound‑bite; they come straight from the manager who is steering the Blues through a period of change. The last two seasons have been anything but quiet. First, Bompastor arrived to replace the legendary Emma Hayes, inheriting a squad that had dominated English women’s football for years. Then, in February, the club suffered the unexpected exit of Paul Green, the head of women’s football, who had worked side‑by‑side with Hayes to create an era of unprecedented success.
Replicating that level of achievement is a daunting task for anyone, let alone a newcomer. In her debut season, Bompastor managed to keep the trophy cabinet ticking over with an unbeaten domestic treble – a feat many attributed partly to Hayes’ lingering influence. However, the second campaign exposed the reality that Chelsea were no longer the unstoppable force they once were. The team looked different, the dynamics had shifted, and a new chapter was clearly on the horizon.
Now, entering her third pre‑season with the club, Bompastor says she feels the full backing of the organisation to shape that next chapter. "I think now I understand what the club is about a lot more," Bompastor explained.
"I also understand what we want to achieve and bringing my input into that. It's good to be in a place where I feel the confidence and the trust coming from the hierarchy in the club. As much as I know my job, we need to get good results in order for me to stay as long as possible, but it's also important to feel like we also have time to rebuild the team in order for us to compete against the best." Her comments capture the delicate balance between immediate performance and long‑term development.
Chelsea finished the previous season with only the League Cup to show for their efforts, slipping to third place behind Manchester City and Arsenal – the first time in six years they had not claimed the WSL title. Bompastor reflected on that disappointment: "We wanted last season to be a more successful season because Chelsea is a club who is used to winning. We only won one trophy, but if you analyse it, we have some good learnings to take and that's really important for us to reflect on.
We spoke a lot about the environment and the culture we want to create here at Chelsea. It's a lot about standards, behaviours, how you show up every day, how much you are committing to work hard to achieve your goals and what are the type of behaviours you want to show up every day, off and on pitch.
Who do we want to be as a team? How do we want people to talk about Chelsea? These things are really important for us to be able to achieve the goals we have." The emphasis on culture, standards and identity signals a shift from merely assembling talent to building a sustainable winning mindset. The summer transfer window has already hinted at a fresh start, especially in terms of personnel.
Long‑standing figures such as former captain Millie Bright have retired, iconic striker Sam Kerr has moved back to the United States, and key contributors like Niamh Charles, Guro Reiten and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd have also departed. Their exits represent a loss of experience, leadership and a deep connection to the club’s winning ethos. "We lost some really important players in terms of the environment and culture," Bompastor admitted. "Some of them had been here for many years and it's difficult to replace them.
So it's for us, the staff and club, to think about how and what is the best way to replace them. It's about the recruitment, but also again linked back to the environment and the culture we want to create." Chelsea’s recruitment philosophy this summer has been to blend seasoned professionals with promising youngsters, a strategy evident in the signings of Katie McCabe and 18‑year‑old Nelly Las. McCabe needs little introduction; Bompastor told Sky Sports that the defender’s quality speaks for itself and that she instantly began influencing squad standards and behaviours. "She has already started to impact the squad in terms of the behaviours and the standards," Bompastor said, expressing satisfaction at having McCabe in blue.
Las, a Leicester product, has already logged 16 WSL appearances over the last two seasons and has featured for England’s youth sides. Bompastor highlighted the importance of versatility and youth development: "It's important to have the right balance between experienced players, but also the youth into the squad.
Players having versatility to play in different positions is also really important for me. I'm a manager who really loves to work with young players, to invest time to develop them and I'm really keen to bring these players into the squad and see how they can develop to contribute to the success we will have in the future." Pressure to win at Chelsea is relentless, given the club’s storied history. The challenge now is to honour that legacy while forging a new identity that aligns with Bompastor’s standards.
Senior squad members, regardless of how long they have been at the club, are expected to embody and transmit the desired culture. Defender Ellie Carpenter, a recent signing who already boasts multiple trophies, exemplifies this transition.
"Chelsea are going through a bit of a transition phase at the moment. A lot of legends have gone and they left such a great legacy. Now it's our turn to do that, follow in their footsteps and to build on what Chelsea is as a club," she told Sky Sports. Carpenter added that the team’s aim is to fight for trophies, enjoy the process, and deliver results.
One trophy still eludes the Blues: the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Historically, Chelsea’s recruitment has been geared toward European glory, assuming domestic success would follow. Bompastor herself won the Champions League as a manager with Lyon, and several of her players – Carpenter, new striker Melvine Malard, defender Kadeisha Buchanan, McCabe (who lifted the trophy with Arsenal), and Lucy Bronze (a five‑time European champion) – have already tasted that pinnacle elsewhere. Yet none have lifted it in Chelsea colours, and the question looms each season: will this be the year the wait ends?
"Winning the Champions League is one of the main goals for us," Bompastor affirmed. "We'll work as hard as possible to achieve that and I know everyone is expecting Chelsea to always be at their best. But the competition now in Europe is getting higher and higher. Many clubs now are in a position where they can compete to win the Champions League.
I don't want to shy away from us and our ambitions, but I also know it's difficult. But that's the one trophy we're missing in the club and we will try as hard as possible to fight for that." Carpenter echoed the sentiment, noting the blend of youth and experience in the squad provides a solid foundation for a European push. The scrutiny that accompanies Chelsea’s brand is unparalleled. Bompastor admitted that she has never experienced such intense focus, but she has grown comfortable with it: "It means people care about us and really think we are a really important club.
That's what comes with our standards and Chelsea being one of the best clubs in the world, so we need to get comfortable with that. We need to make sure when we go into the season, we don't have any regrets and we give our all any time we step onto the pitch." This mindset, coupled with a clear cultural blueprint, suggests that Chelsea are not merely rebuilding; they are evolving into a new iteration of a historically dominant side.
In summary, the Blues are navigating a transitional period marked by departures of key veterans, strategic recruitment of a balanced mix of experience and youth, and a renewed focus on culture, standards, and a clear ambition to add the Champions League to their trophy cabinet. With Bompastor’s leadership, backed by the club hierarchy, and a squad eager to write the next chapter, Chelsea aim to re‑establish themselves at the summit of both English and European women’s football.