Sam Kerr to leave Chelsea after six-and-a-half years
Ian Chadband
Sam Kerr will leave Chelsea at the end of the season, bringing a curtain down on one of the most glittering, trophy-laden careers in Women’s Super League football.
The Matildas captain will leave the team after six-and-a-half years when his contract expires in the summer, with his final game for the Blues turning into an emotional affair against Manchester United on Saturday, the English giants announced on Friday.
“Obviously there is some sadness,” Kerr said in announcing his departure.
“I’m leaving Chelsea, I’m leaving the club I’ve been at for a long time, I’m leaving my teammates, I’m leaving the fans.
But when I think about my Chelsea career and the last time I did this, I feel happy. I’m happy it happened and I’m very grateful to have played for this club for six years and won as many trophies as we could.
“The only thing I can think of is remembering all the happy moments, the fun moments, and being really proud.”
The 32-year-old was reported to have been selected for ambitious NWSL franchise Denver Summit in the US last month, and the decision was widely expected.
But while Kerr ended her trophy-laden spell as Chelsea’s all-time leading marksman in the league with 64 WSL goals, she remains just one behind the Blues’ all-time top scorer Fran Kirby with 115 goals in all competitions.
So if Kerr can double up on Kirby’s mark in the final match against United at Stamford Bridge, where the Chelsea women play their biggest game, it could be a fairytale end to her reign as the ‘Queen of Kingsmeadow’.
Individual and team success have gone hand in hand for Kerr, who has twice won the Golden Boot as the WSL’s top scorer and was named runner-up for the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best women’s player in 2023.
Times were tough for Kerr, too; These were more difficult than when he was accused of racially abusing a police officer following an incident in London in 2023, but was found not guilty after a high-profile trial 13 months later.
Kerr was also out of action for 20 months after suffering a knee ligament injury in January 2024, but it is a testament to his quality that he returned this season and scored his 100th goal for Chelsea, and although it took him a long time to recover properly, he still became top scorer with 16 goals in 29 games.
His recent form has highlighted Kerr’s flamboyance and led to suggestions that Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor should do everything possible to keep him in the squad.
However, the Blues are strongly linked with Manchester Cty’s Khadija Shaw, who has replaced the Australian as the most lethal striker in the WSL.
Kerr, who is married to American national player Kristie Mewis and the couple have a son named Jagger, is expected to announce that he is continuing his career in the United States, where he was once the NWSL’s all-time leading scorer.
