Kerr Could Play First Chelsea Game In 20 Months

Sam Kerr could make her first Chelsea quality for 20 months successful nan opening crippled of nan Women's Super League play connected Friday.

The Australia striker has not played for nan Blues since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee wounded during a training campy successful January 2024.

Chelsea head Sonia Bompastor said Kerr will beryllium successful nan squad to look Manchester City arsenic nan reigning champions get nan 2025-26 WSL play nether way.

"I'm not judge if she will commencement aliases not," Bompastor said.

"She is successful a bully place, mentally successful a bully position. People want her connected nan pitch, she has acquisition but has been distant a agelong time, truthful we person to beryllium diligent pinch her. But it is simply a bully measurement for her to beryllium successful nan squad."

Kerr has scored 58 goals successful 75 WSL matches for Chelsea. She was peculiarly a cardinal fig successful 3 successive WSL title-winning seasons nether erstwhile head Emma Hayes, from 2020-21 to 2022-23.

Because of her injury, Kerr did not play astatine each during Bompastor's first play arsenic Chelsea boss, successful which nan Blues won nan home treble and became nan first squad to spell done a 22-game WSL run unbeaten.

But she is now successful a position to return, pinch Bompastor welcoming that news arsenic she deals pinch a bid of injuries elsewhere successful her elder squad.

Striker Mayra Ramirez is retired until nan caller twelvemonth after room connected her hamstring, while right-back Lucy Bronze and winger Lauren James will miss nan commencement of nan play pinch injuries suffered during Euro 2025.

Both featured for England successful nan Euros last – aft which Bronze revealed she had been playing pinch a surgery shin, while James was carrying an ankle wounded which forced her disconnected successful nan first half against Spain.

Bompastor did not blasted either subordinate for carrying connected done injuries, nor England head Sarina Wiegman, but she did admit nan injuries are a existent issue.

"I person a bully narration pinch Sarina, I texted her to opportunity congrats [on winning Euro 2025]," Bompastor said.

The Chelsea leader understands why Bronze and James were keen to play connected for England contempt their injuries.

"I was a player, I would person done nan same," Bompastor said. "But now we person this situation, it is not awesome to not person these 2 players."

She said it was "difficult" to put a timeframe connected nan return of both, but they would decidedly beryllium retired for "a fewer weeks".

Bompastor besides praised James for her bravery aft an question and reply pinch BBC Sport, successful which nan Lionesses subordinate said she had struggled pinch instrumentality disapproval while injured astatine nan Euros and was fearful of racism aft missing a penalty.

"She is not nan only 1 who is rather vocal successful my squad," Bompastor said of James. "I americium proud of my players erstwhile they measurement up connected important subjects. I promote them to raise these problems. I promote them to enactment brave."