Chelsea have added a third new player to the squad this summer with the recruitment of Jess Carter, a former PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year.
Carter, who is 20 years old, begins a three-year contract having been signed from Birmingham City where she had come through their centre of excellence before becoming a first-team regular and an England international.
On joining the Blues, Carter told chelseafc.com: ‘Chelsea are the top team in the country and the potential is there to be one of the greatest teams. The players they have here all want to win, and it’s not just domestic trophies – they want to win the Champions League. I have the same ambitions as them. Hopefully they can push me, I can push them, and together we can achieve that.
‘I want to win trophies. I want to make a name for myself, to improve as a footballer and as a person, and that’s why I’m here. I want to do whatever I can to help make this team even more successful than it already is.
‘It was the right time for me to leave Birmingham,’ she added. ‘I needed a new challenge, another push, and an environment that was going to take me to the next level. I think Chelsea is the place to do that.
‘I looked around the training facilities before coming to Stamford Bridge and they are on another level to what I’ve experienced in the past. Everyone I’ve met has been so lovely and I just can’t wait to meet up with all the girls and get started.’
The signing of Carter follows on from that of goalkeeper Lizzie Durack at the start of the month and Sophie Ingle last week, and manager Emma Hayes is pleased to have another new option.
‘We’ve looked at the development of this squad and progression of this team and felt if we are going to take one step further, especially in Europe, we need to improve the physicality of the side,’ Hayes explained.
‘Jess is a player I’ve been watching since she’s 16 – I saw her debut for Birmingham in the Champions League – and she’s certainly got the character, the mentality and all the attributes to be hugely successful in a Chelsea shirt. I’m very excited.
‘I think it’s something I recruit a lot of – players who can play in two, three or four different positions if needs be,’ said the boss. ‘That’s what helped us win the double and Jess will fit in nicely. She can play centre-midfield, wing-back, centre-back. It’s a big responsibility to wear this badge, but she’s a player who has been developed in the right way by Birmingham and she’s ready for this next step.’
Carter will join up with her new Chelsea team-mates when pre-season training begins on 7 July.
