Alyssa Thompson has revealed why she decided to join Chelsea – moving to the club ahead of last week’s transfer deadline from Angel City in NWSL.
“I wanted to join Chelsea because of their reputation,” she told the club’s official website.
“They have won so much in these past few years, and just in general – and I feel like I want to be a part of a culture that wins, and has a lot of the best players in the world.
“I think that environment – you can only grow and get better in, so I’m just really excited to be here and be a part of the club now.”
She added: “Having a bunch of amazing players around me, I’m going to learn so much, and I just want to take it all in and ask questions, and be there for the team.
“I also feel like my speed on the field I could bring to a lot of games.
“On any team I’m on, I want to do whatever I can to help the team.
“I just want to be someone that is able to play any role they can and help the team in any way they can.”
Alyssa Thompson: I’m settling in
Thompson – who was born and raised in Los Angeles – scored 15 goals in 69 appearances for Angel City, the club she joined via the draft in 2023.
Adding that she is excited to live in London – the city where she made her debut for the US women’s national team, against England at Wembley in October 2022 – she said: “It was a dream of mine to come here and play in England. Being able to have that memory from before and now coming back here is definitely full circle.”
Thompson has been training with the squad but manager Sonia Bompastor said on Friday that it was unclear whether she would have the approval to make her debut on Sunday against Aston Villa, explaining: “We don’t have the confirmation yet, but we are hoping for her to be able to play in this game.”
“It’s been nice to just get on the ball and be with the team,” concluded Thompson. “I haven’t done that in a while so being able to get my touches in and learn from the players already and feel like just getting to know the team better on the field was really helpful, and I feel like I’m settling in.”
