Chelsea officially announced the arrival of the US interior defender Naomi Girma on Sunday afternoon act It is considered the most expensive in the history of women’s football.
At the beginning of this week it became known that the 24-year-old defender was ready to leave the NWSL team San Diego Wave and switch to Chelsea for a transfer fee of $ 1.1 million. No player in the history of women’s football has ever cost and surpasses the $ 860,000 (£ 690,000), which spent the freshly founded US franchise Bay FC in February 2024 to hire Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF.
Chelsea already held the record for the most expensive transfer in the history of the Women’s Super League (WSL), but Girma’s registered price is more than twice as high as the 450,000 euros (£ 384,000), which was necessary for Mayra Ramirez in January 2024 from To remove Levante.
“I’m so happy and really excited to be here,” said Girma on the official Chelsea website. “It doesn’t feel really good.
“There are many things about Chelsea who have moved me to come here – the culture, the winning mentality, the staff and the players. It is a first -class environment in which you can learn and grow. At the moment it is what I want to do. ”It was a simple decision for me.”
It is official. ✍️
Naomi Girma plays for the Chelsea Football Club. 🔵 pic.twitter.com/hb7omyhe06
– Chelsea FC Women (@chelseafcw) January 26, 2025
Girma was the first election in the 2022 NWSL draft and won Olympic Gold in summer under the guidance of Chelsea’s legendary former trainer Emma Hayes. Despite their all-encompassing influence, the blues have hardly left a blow last year since taking over the US women’s national team by the revered English trainer.
Chelsea’s record-breaking newcomer was presented on Sunday afternoon before the WSL game of her new team against Arsenal an der Stamford Bridge. Girma joins a team under Sonia Bombastor, who has headed the table and has not lost a single point in the Champions League group phase.
The lively head of the association’s women’s football department, Paul Green, was full of praise for the recent big step. “Naomi is a world-class defender who is now in the best years of her career,” he enthused. “Your serenity on the ball, your ability to read the game, paired with your pace and your athletics, will give top quality of an already very talented team.”
“Naomi demonstrated her talent in the NWSL by winning various solo awards and performing well on the international stage for the USA, among other things this summer by winning a gold medal at the Olympic Games.”
“She is undoubtedly ready for the next step in her career and we are pleased that this will be the case with Chelsea.”
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