Chelsea are England’s most dominant team, but they still need USWNT’s Naomi Girma

You would be forgiven while watching Chelsea beat Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday for wondering why the reigning five-time Women’s Super League champions needed Naomi Girma. The world-record $1.1million (£900,000) signing was announced on the Stamford Bridge pitch before kick-off and then watched her new side effectively wrap up the title with 10 games remaining. 

The 1-0 win put Chelsea 10 points clear of Arsenal and nine of Manchester City, with Manchester United, now their closest challengers, seven points behind. It also wrapped up a sweep of clean sheets in home league matches against their three biggest rivals.

Chelsea have been so dominant in the English top flight this season, with their defence looking impenetrable at times, that it begs the question: why Girma?

Well, her CV speaks for itself: U.S. Soccer’s Young Female Player of the Year in 2020; No 1 draft pick in 2022 — the season she went on to win NWSL Rookie of the Year and NWSL Defender of the Year, a title she retained a year later as the star at the heart of a mean defence that helped San Diego Wave win the NWSL Shield by finishing top of the league in the regular season. 

But the answer to why Chelsea pursued Girma so intently lay in Sunday’s game itself. Not because they made defensive errors — Millie Bright, who was named player of the match, and Nathalie Bjorn were close to immaculate as a centre-back pairing — but because they know the value of depth. 

Ultimately, this match swung on the quality Chelsea could bring off the substitutes’ bench. Maika Hamano came on at half-time after Mayra Ramirez was forced off with an injury, while Lauren James, Guro Reiten and Aggie Beever-Jones were introduced in the second half. James won the penalty, scored by Reiten, that clinched the match. In games of tight margins, depth makes a difference and that is why Chelsea continually look to upgrade their squad.

Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor had repeatedly hinted over the past few weeks that she would like an additional centre-back to allow her to vary how she sets up her team. Since Kadeisha Buchanan tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in November, Chelsea have used Bright and Bjorn as their first-choice centre-backs. 

“Having Naomi join the team will bring even more options for me,” Bompastor explained to reporters after the game, having got the present at the top of her wish list.

“She will bring a lot of quality to the squad, even if the squad is already talented. We will be able to play with a back three, back four, different systems.”

Bompastor said the USWNT defender would “bring a lot of confidence to the team” and described her as a “smart player” out of possession.

“She can have a big impact because she is comfortable passing the ball short or long,” the Chelsea head coach added. “She can drive on the ball and create numerical advantages… she has a lot of speed, so she plays high on the pitch and recovers the ball.”

Chelsea have repeatedly shown that they are willing to be aggressive in the transfer market, spending big to get who they want when they want. It was a year to the day since they had broken the British transfer record by signing Colombia striker Ramirez from Spanish side Levante. Five years ago, they signed Pernille Harder from Wolfsburg for a fee reportedly worth more than £250,000, which would have made it a world-record transfer. Since then, the record has almost quadrupled — but it is still Chelsea paying it.

You only have to look at the table to see the justification for the outlay. After years of tight title races — of their five consecutive titles, none have been won by more than two points — Chelsea have decimated their opponents this season. They are comfortably the best team in the league but are still looking to strengthen. Contrast that with Arsenal, who have not recruited at all this January, despite having several areas that would benefit from additions. 

It is no secret that much of Chelsea’s squad building is not focused on domestic competitions but on their so-called ‘white whale’ — the elusive Champions League trophy. Bjorn is a good but not great defender. Despite a solid performance on Sunday, it was telling that Arsenal targeted her by putting striker Alessia Russo against her. Girma is a clear upgrade and perhaps the key to Chelsea winning the biggest cup competition in European women’s football. 

The recruitment has become a virtuous cycle, too. Chelsea beat off interest from Arsenal and French champions Lyon to sign Girma, with the defender telling the BBC at half-time that it was the “winning culture” and “mentality” that attracted her to the club. “What the club stands for is amazing,” she said.

Such platitudes are expected from any new player, but there was a kernel of truth within it. Chelsea have positioned themselves as being the best team in England’s thriving market by bringing in talented personalities on and off the pitch. That, in turn, encourages others to join. 

Girma is a headline signing, a player who deserves all the attention her move has generated. But she is one in a long line of big-name signings for Chelsea. She is not the first and almost certainly won’t be the last and that is the secret of their success.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

NWSL, UK Women's Football

2025 The Athletic Media Company