Chelsea have officially appointed Sonia Bompastor as their new manager on a four-year deal.

The WSL champions have agreed compensation with Lyon as Bompastor makes the move from the French club to become Emma Hayes’ successor.

Hayes departed the London club at the end of last season to manage the United States women’s national team.

Though it is expected, it has not yet been confirmed whether Bompastor will be joined by Lyon’s assistant coaches Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin.

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Chelsea’s general manager Paul Green said: ”Sonia’s vision, coaching philosophy and winning mentality made her the outstanding candidate.

”She is a world-class coach with a proven track record of success on the biggest stages that will instantly command respect from the dressing room.”

The 43-year-old former defender, captained Lyon to Champions League victory back in 2011 during her playing days.

And then in 2022, at the helm of Les Fenottes she became the first woman in history to win the competition as both a player and a manager.

During Bompastor’s spell as head coach, Lyon have also won three successive league titles, most recently finishing nine points above second-placed Paris Saint-Germain.


Featured image courtesy of Cerha Oliver via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made to this image. License details found here

By Emilie Mwanza

Founder of Beyond The 90. Trainee multimedia journalist based in Preston.