Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr says she is looking forward to returning to goalscoring ways after almost two years out with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“It’s nice to be back with the girls, back on the pitch, and yeah, I’m excited,” Kerr told the Chelsea official website as she returned to training.
“I’m most looking forward to being out there, scoring goals and having fun. Getting back to normal and being with the team is great, too.”
Kerr will be looking for her 100th career goal for Chelsea as soon as she returns; having scored nine goals at the start of the 2023-24 season, she was on 99 before she picked up the ACL injury during a training camp in Morocco in January 2024.
Sam Kerr: I’m looking forward to playing for Bompastor
She also had some words of praise for “very demanding” head coach Sonia Bompastor, who took over from Emma Hayes last season, and assistant Camille Abily.
“It’s a big change for me, but they had a lot of success last year, so I’m looking forward to playing under them.
“Every coach I’ve worked under has been outwardly ambitious. But when you play at a club like Chelsea, people genuinely believe you can do it. So that’s the difference. We’re still going for that Champions League win, but domestically, we can back up those statements.
“But I’ll let Sonia do the talking. My focus is on trying to better the team and better myself, that’s for sure.”
‘Everything is about winning’
After Chelsea’s domestic treble in 2024-25 but falling short in the Champions League once again, the Australian is hoping that she will be able to contribute to securing more trophies in the coming season – and welcomed her compatriot Ellie Carpenter to the squad.
“Chelsea’s about winning, so I think everything we do here is about winning – from the standards at the training ground to what we do on the pitch. When you come to a club like Chelsea, sometimes that can be a culture shock.
“With new players, it’s just about guiding them, but honestly, when I came here, I enjoyed it straight away because people just made me feel welcome and comfortable.
“With my personality and who I am as a leader, my role is to make the girls feel the same way and make sure they’re enjoying themselves.
“People can perform at their very best when they’re happy, comfortable and feel a part of the team.”
Chelsea open their Women’s Super League campaign at Stamford Bridge when they face Manchester City on Friday, 5th September.
