Sonia Bompastor led Chelsea to an unbeaten domestic treble last season, but now the Blues face an unusual predicament with just one game left in the Women’s Super League and no trophy to play for. They are heading toward their worst finish since 2018-19, ending a six-year dominance of the WSL. This marks a sharp contrast from last season, when they swept all three domestic titles without a single loss. Their FA Cup semi-final defeat to newly crowned champions Manchester City on Sunday, coupled with a Champions League exit at the hands of Arsenal, has left the club searching for answers. So, what does the future hold for Chelsea, and is Bompastor’s job truly at risk?
Manager Sonia Bompastor’s debut season could not have been more promising, but this year has been a harsh reality check. Despite growing fan frustration, club sources insist she retains full backing. In February, after a humiliating 5-1 loss to league leaders Manchester City, Bompastor stated she would be “happy to go” if the board deemed it necessary. However, the club supported her, and just five days later, she signed a new deal through 2030. Though that renewal had been in the works for months, the timing was telling. A month after that defeat, Chelsea lifted the Women’s League Cup by beating Manchester United. The former Lyon head coach, who succeeded club legend Emma Hayes, brings a strong CV and reputation. While this season has been hugely disappointing, factors beyond her control have played a role.
Bompastor has repeatedly pointed to the squad’s lack of depth, which she insists is not what it was last season, largely due to injuries and reduced transfer activity. Of their five summer signings, only Ellie Carpenter and Alyssa Thompson are regular starters, and no additions were made in January. England forward Lauren James was not fully fit until the second half of the campaign, striker Sam Kerr was returning from a two-year ACL injury, and Colombian star Mayra Ramirez has missed the entire season. Injuries to center-back Nathalie Bjorn, full-back Niamh Charles, and striker Aggie Beever-Jones have also been disruptive. Adding insult to injury was the shock departure of well-respected former head of women’s football Paul Green, who left Chelsea after 13 years.
The pressure has taken a toll on Bompastor, and it has occasionally boiled over this season. The 5-1 defeat by City sparked her comments on squad depth and hinted at tensions with club decision-makers. She was defiant after a 2-0 win over Tottenham but admitted it had been “a difficult time” personally. Later, she was frustrated after a 3-1 loss to Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final, where controversial officiating marred the tie. After failing to overturn the deficit in the second leg at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor received a red card for questioning referees over a hair pull on Thompson by Arsenal defender Katie McCabe. With emotions running high at full-time, she pulled out her phone during a post-match interview with BBC Sport to replay the incident. Bompastor has not used these frustrations as excuses, admitting the season “has not been good enough.”
When asked if rival teams have closed the gap and whether Chelsea have stagnated, Bompastor said: “Yeah. Everyone is working hard to make sure they catch up with us. This season has shown that. To be honest with you, this season from us is not good enough with our ambitions. I’m a manager that will always give clarity at the start of the season, saying we want to win the four titles. When I give you that clarity, I always give you the opportunity to question that. Other managers might just say ‘we try our best,’ but at Chelsea this is not good enough. I’m not happy with the fact I can’t help the team more than I have this season.”
Looking ahead, Bompastor already has one eye on the future, admitting she expected a “transitional” campaign. The Blues are favorites to sign Manchester City star striker Khadija Shaw on a free transfer this summer, with hopes to be active in the transfer window. “We will review everything then look at the future with a lot of ambitions, but also solutions to be able to fight back to win the league,” said Bompastor. “We have been already doing that for quite a long time. Some of the things that happened, I’m not really surprised. We want to make sure next year we are fighting for the title again.”
Senior figures at Chelsea view Bompastor as one of the leading tacticians in women’s football, which is why they continue to back her. The decision to part ways with Paul Green, who worked closely with Hayes and is considered a club legend internally, was part of an effort to ensure continued progress in an increasingly competitive WSL. New women’s sporting director Phil Radley brings experience from both the men’s and women’s games and speaks multiple languages. With a legal background, his skillset is designed to allow Bompastor to focus more on on-field matters and less on administrative work. Radley was appointed after a competitive executive recruitment process led by Bloom Sports Partners and was interviewed by women’s chief executive Aki Mandhar alongside co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart. Mandhar has already been involved in recruitment matters alongside long-standing club employee TJ O’Leary, whom Bompastor recently name-checked.
Going forward, Chelsea will also play all their WSL home games at Stamford Bridge, a move the club hopes will mark the start of a new era.
