Aggie Beever-Jones, Maika Hamano & Chelsea’s young guns driving Sonia Bompastor’s perfect start to the Blues’ post-Emma Hayes era

There’s been a noticeable shift in Chelsea’s transfer policy in the last couple of years. Maika Hamano, Wieke Kaptein, Lucy Watson, Brooke Aspin and Veerle Buurman have all been signed as teenagers and then loaned out, with the clear aim of developing them to the extent that they can come back and make an impact on the first team. While the latter trio are continuing their progress away from the club, Hamano and Kaptein have shown that such a path exists.

“I think we’re at that stage of our journey now where we recognise that to play at this level is not as simple as just making a signing and bringing them into your club,” Hayes said in her penultimate season in charge of Chelsea. “That development pathway for the younger player now is going to involve preparation that might see them cross borders. The loan process is one that we should embrace, especially when the development of the league and the top teams in that league has just grown exponentially.”

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  Continuing the good work

  It’s work that started under Hayes, both in terms of those signings and the integration of players, with Hamano one of those who came up with some huge contributions in the title run-in last season after being granted her full WSL debut just a few months earlier. However, it’s work that can certainly continue under Bompastor.

  Once the former France international called time on her playing career back in 2013, she started a role at Lyon as the head of the academy. Eight-time European champions, OL have been the team to beat on the continent for most of the time since then, meaning Bompastor was tasked with developing young stars at a club which boasted many of the very best players in the world. It was no easy job.

  By operating in that space for eight years and then stepping up to be the head coach at Lyon for a further three, where she helped a number of academy talents progress into the first team, she has a lot of extremely relevant experience when it comes to bringing Chelsea’s young players through.
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  Perfect fit

  It’s also an aspect of the job that genuinely excites Bompastor. Asked by GOAL before the season for her thoughts on Chelsea signing a flurry of teenage prospects in recent transfer windows, she replied: “I am really happy with this recruitment. I was head of the academy at Lyon for eight years and I loved working with young players. The club at the moment is maybe one of the best in the world at trying to find and recruit the young talents and bringing them to Chelsea. I bring a staff that is able to support them and make them improve. My vision is really clear: I think Chelsea is the best club in the world at recruiting young talents and it’s really helpful for the next seasons.”

  As for whether or not she is the best person to help those young talents into the first team, Bompastor was modest but confident. “I think I’m in a good place,” she said. “Some other coaches will probably be able to do the same, but from my experience, I would say it’s always good for the young players to get someone [specialised]. I think working with experienced players and young players are different jobs. You don’t deliver the same messages. Having the experience and being really interested in working with young players, that’s something that’s really important for the club and for them.”

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  Experienced guidance

  It’s not just Bompastor who has a part to play, either. As well as these young stars, Chelsea’s squad also boasts some hugely experienced heads. Lucy Bronze, for example, is a player who built a fantastic relationship with James at England before signing for the Blues this summer. She is someone who can really help those young players coming into an environment unlike any they’ve experienced before.

  There is a balancing act to be had here, because Chelsea is a top-level club where players need to step up. “Everybody needs the challenge and sometimes you have to be thrown in at the deep end and see if you can swim because you’ll never know otherwise,” Bronze explained. However, she is also happy to play that valuable leadership role in a squad that isn’t just peppered with teenage signings and academy products, but also other young players who have either never played in England before or not for a club with the stature of Chelsea. Only once this season has the average age of the Blues’ starting XI sat above 27 years old.

  “I’m always there if they need any help,” Bronze said. “I speak to all the younger players every single day. It’s nice to be able to tell them, ‘Don’t be scared of anything, ask anyone, ask me, ask Millie [Bright], do whatever you want.’ I think for me it’s just important that they feel comfortable in their environment and that’s what I want to do. Whether that’s pushing them, helping them out or leaving them alone sometimes, I just want them to be the best player they can be.”
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  Winning formula

  It has all culminated in these young talents stepping up and showing what they are about. Hamano had her moments last season and those have continued into the current campaign, with her sublime pass through to Mayra Ramirez kickstarting the weekend win over Man City. It was the highlight of an all-round star performance from a player who is still just 20 years old and only made her first start in the WSL in April.

  That goal moved Ramirez onto three league goals for the season, level with academy product Aggie Beever-Jones, who racked up a remarkable 11 last term despite starting just six games. That form earned her a first senior England call-up and, thanks to a continuation of those performances, she has remained in the Lionesses’ squad ever since.

  Also coming to the fore this season is Kaptein, the young midfielder who was signed in the summer of 2023 and, after a year back at Twente on loan, has started all of Chelsea’s Champions League fixtures so far. Those new experiences are only benefitting her international career as well, as she continues to take big strides towards becoming a regular for the Netherlands.

  “My vision is that I don’t care about age,” Bompastor said earlier this year. “It’s about performance and if a player who is 17, 18 or 19 is performing better than more experienced players, she plays. It’s that simple.”

  While Chelsea as a club continue to scour the earth for the most talented young footballers in the women’s game, an approach like that from their first-team head coach will only set them up for even more success in the future.