Chelsea have completed the signing of full-back Ellie Carpenter from OL Lyonnes after Ashley Lawrence made the opposite move yesterday.
The deal is in keeping with the trend set by Chelsea’s recent recruitment, which seems wholly focused on winning the Champions League.
Carpenter is a two-time UWCL winner with Lyonnes, and clinched one of those titles under now-Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor’s management.
In signing the Australian, the Blues have added yet more European pedigree to the squad after signing five-time UWCL winner Lucy Bronze and two-time champion Keira Walsh last season.
Chelsea’s European campaign ended in tears last season as the Blues were dumped out in the semi-finals by Barcelona. They will hope Carpenter’s addition helps them to close the gap to continent’s elite.
The move comes barely a day after fellow full-back Lawrence completed her move in the opposite direction, joining the French powerhouse after two years in SW6, during which she became a two-time WSL champion.
On signing for Chelsea, Carpenter said she looked forward to reuniting with Bompastor.
“I worked with Sonia for two years at Lyon, and I like the way she coaches,” she explained. “She's been a player, so she gets it. She brings that winning mentality, it’s in her DNA. She's straightforward, very direct and I think as a coach, you have to be sometimes. That's how you get the best out of people.
“Sonia knows how to win the Champions League both as a player and a coach. Chelsea have the team and the squad to win it and hopefully, I can come in and help the team and deliver that trophy.”
Despite being just 25 years old, Carpenter brings a wealth of experience to Chelsea. She made her international debut for Australia at 15 and holds the record as the youngest woman to play football at the Olympics after appearing in Rio in 2016. When playing in Australia, she was named the A-League women’s Young Footballer of the Year in three consecutive campaigns.
She broke out at Western Sydney Wanderers, later joining Portland Thorns before debuting in Europe with Lyonnes in 2020.
