Hannah Hampton left Aston Villa at the end of her contract this summer. Chelsea picked up the 22-year-old goalie on a free transfer. Hampton is part of England’s Women’s World Cup team, and a loan move to a rival WSL side could follow since Chelsea already has a lot of goalkeepers.
Hannah Hampton, who plays goal for England, has joined Chelsea after leaving Aston Villa for free.
Hampton played for Villa for two years, until the end of her contract this summer. During that time, the 22-year-old made 43 appearances for the club in all categories.
She now joins goalkeepers Zecira Musovic, Ann-Katrin Berger, and Emily Orman on Emma Hayes’ team that won the championship.
Hampton said, “I’m very excited!” after he signed with Chelsea. It’s an honor to be a part of such a big club and to be able to wear the badge. I want to keep getting better, help the team in any way I can, and also win some trophies with the club.”
“Hannah is without a doubt one of the best young goalkeepers in the world,” said manager Emma Hayes. Her performances have been getting better every year, and we’re looking forward to what the future holds for her with us.”
Hampton is also one of England’s 23-person team for the Women’s World Cup, which starts this month in Australia and New Zealand. The Lionesses flew to the event on Wednesday.
The goalkeeper’s move to Chelsea brings an eventful year to a close. The goalkeeper was left out of Sarina Wiegman’s first England team after the Euros in September because of “personal issues.” After that, she was not picked for the next three foreign teams.
Around the same time, Hampton was also taken out of her club team at Aston Villa for a while, which Carla Ward did not explain. During this time, she also had surgery in November to fix a torn muscle.
But since the beginning of 2023, Hampton has made her way back into the Aston Villa team. In April, she was called back up to the England team, and her form may be better than ever.
In March, Ward said, “I’m happy. She’s done a lot of things for herself that have helped her since the new year began, and I think she’s grown a lot in the last few months. She’s really flying and playing some of the best games of her career. Long may that continue!”
At the end of the season, Hampton had kept five clean sheets for Villa in 15 WSL games.
Chelsea is taking the long view with Hampton:
Hampton moves from Aston Villa to Chelsea, but the talented 22-year-old goalie already has three good teammates in west London.
Even if they have to play the long game, Chelsea would not want to miss out on a girl who could become one of the best at her position in Europe.
Because of this, Hampton is likely to be moved to another WSL club this season so that she can continue to improve.
Chelsea isn’t the only WSL team that wanted to sign Hampton. Spanish teams, like Barcelona, were also interested in her in the past.
Hampton is taking a risk by leaving Villa, but it will pay off if she becomes Chelsea’s top player.
