Chelsea FC’s signing of 24-year-old USA defender Naomi Girma for a record fee of around £900,000 is an exceptionally exciting purchase.
This breaks the previous record fee paid for a female footballer – Racheal Kundanaji to Bay FC for £685,000 in the January transfer window of 2024.
Girma’s signing demonstrates the club’s intent for both immediate and future success in the Women’s Super League, coming off the back of 5 successive title wins already.
The Blues have been wanting to sure up their defense, with Canadian centre-half Kadeisha Buchanan sustaining a knee injury that shall see her out for the rest of the season.
The transfer of Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave will certainly fill that hole, acting as brilliant cover for Buchanan’s absence.
But she will not be coming to Chelsea just to sit on the bench after Buchanan’s return.
Girma will be expecting to get significant playing time – a staple part of the Blues’ central spine.
The USA international is considered one of the best female footballers on the planet at this moment in time, and following her impact at the Paris Olympics in 2024 where she helped USA win gold, alongside her contribution to San Diego Wave’s title victory in 2023 where she was named NWSL player of the year, she really is making a name for herself.
Investment in the defense will only make Chelsea stronger, and a partnership of Naomi Girma and England star Millie Bright may prove to be one of, if not the most dominant back line in the modern game.
On the other side of the pitch, goalscoring is already proving to be child’s play thanks to the likes of elite forward Guro Reiten and breakthrough academy product, Aggie Beaver-Jones who combined, have generated a tally of 12 goals in 12 games so far this season.
Blues Manager Sonia Bompastor will be hoping to extend the Champions’ title-winning streak to 6 in-a-row, which would further outline Chelsea as the sovereigns of English women’s football.
Chelsea currently sit top of the WSL with 34 points after 12 games.
[by Cody Deadman]
