How Bompastor used Chelsea's preseason to help move on from Hayes era

WASHINGTON — For the first time in 12 years, Chelsea enter a Women’s Super League (WSL) season under a different manager. When the legendary Emma Hayes announced in November that it would be her last year with the club, as she was taking up the USWNT job in the summer, the football world was left in shock.

Hayes’ name is synonymous with success. She built an empire at Chelsea, winning 16 trophies, including five back-to-back WSL titles — the last of which came at the end of her final season. But, much like Manchester United’s and Arsenal’s men had to find replacements for Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, the Blues were left trying to find a candidate to step into what is ultimately an impossible job.

After an exhaustive search, Chelsea announced that former Lyon player and manager Sonia Bompastor was their choice. Her credentials are impeccable: during a four-year reign at Lyon, she led the team to seven trophies, including the 2021-22 UEFA Women’s Champions League title. That was the one prize that had always eluded Hayes as a manager, though she did win it when it was called the UEFA Women’s Cup as assistant first-team coach at Arsenal in 2007.

It was a signal of intent that Chelsea weren’t willing to give up their place at the top of English football just yet. But now, with Bompastor at the helm and the new season fast approaching, the club are entering a crucial transition phase. The squad, style of play and team dynamics are evolving from the Hayes era into what will soon be unmistakably Bompastor’s Chelsea.

After ESPN joined the club on their tour of the U.S. this summer, which took in games against WSL rivals Arsenal and NWSL side NJ/NY Gotham, we look at how expectations remain sky-high and what fans can expect from Bompastor now her journey in London has begun.

Crafting a squad

Bompastor inherited a squad brimming with world-class talent — players accustomed to winning consistently. Yet she wasted no time in reshaping the team. Known for her nous in nurturing young talent during her tenure at Lyon’s academy, she targeted rising stars who are ready to make their mark.

Indeed, following a similar strategy to that of their free-spending men’s team, Chelsea welcomed a wave of up-and-coming prospects to inject fresh energy and ambition into an already stacked squad including Sandy Baltimore (24), Oriane Jean-François (23), Julia Bartel (20), Louna Ribadeira (20) and Maelys Mpomé (21).

“For me it’s really important to have a big squad in numbers and quality because we have a lot of games this season and I know every single player won’t be able to play every single game,” Bompastor told ESPN.

“There are a lot of games and most of the squad are internationals as well, so they have so many games to play. It’s really important to have the young players. And for me, coming from Lyon, I was the head of the academy for the women’s department, and I really like to work with the young players.”

Chelsea boast a squad of 30 players, with an additional seven young prospects out on loan, and Hayes had already started thinking about the future before she left by signing youngsters like Wieke Kaptein (19), Maika Hamano (20) and Alejandra Bernabe (22). So, with only 25 squad spots available due to WSL regulations, the battle for starting positions and even places on the bench promises to be fierce.

Bompastor also inherited a crop of promising academy graduates — including Lexi Potter, Cerys Brown, Charlotte Wardlaw, and Lucy Watson — but one name has already surged into the spotlight: Aggie Beever-Jones. At 21, the forward is looking forward to staking her claim for a starting spot up front, against elite internationals like Australia’s Sam Kerr and the USWNT’s Catarina Macario.

“I’ve been in that position and done it myself, so I know how important it’s to go on that pitch and be able to express yourself and have the confidence,” Beever-Jones said. “And I think it’s credit to Chelsea for building that philosophy of ‘everyone here, is good enough to play Chelsea’ and being able to go on the pitch at any time and show their performance.”

Bonding off the pitch

In an effort to fast-track team cohesion, Chelsea’s staff and players took part in a team-building adventure at Go Ape before jetting off on tour to spend time in New Jersey, Manhattan and Washington, D.C. And while it was great that success arrived on the pitch — through a 3-1 victory over Gotham and a tight 1-0 win against Arsenal — it was also important in fostering vital connections off it.

“That’s the most important moment for me; to have this opportunity to get to know each player, each member of staff,” Bompastor says. “You spend so much time together being on a trip and I think that’s the best way to learn about each person.

“It’s also something really special, because we are travelling with the team, almost all the players and the staff, and that’s a way to get the opportunity to know each other quite well. We are still working on the pitch, but also outside the pitch, and we just felt like coming to the U.S. was a good way to prepare for the season in the good way.”

The trip wasn’t all about football, though. Off the pitch, the players bonded through a series of unique experiences — from ringing the New York Stock Exchange opening bell to testing their creativity in a drawing challenge at the National Portrait Gallery. They participated in a bagel-making workshop, crafted friendship bracelets to gift to fans, visited Times Square and even caught the opening New York Liberty WNBA game. These moments, full of shared laughter and connection, were invaluable in solidifying team spirit before the grind of the season arrives.

“I think when you come away, you feel like you’re on a little holiday,” club captain Millie Bright told ESPN. “I think also when you’re in a different place, you can experience new things and you start to see like the walls come down and players start to settle.

“We’re going be the ones in the tough moments relying on one another — whether that’s player to player, staff to player — so it’s so important that we build those relationships and everyone’s super comfortable.”

Aligning motivations

While team bonding was a key focus during preseason, there was a deeper mission at play for Bompastor: ensuring that everyone, from staff to players, was aligned on the club’s ambitions and her vision for the team. Preseason, for her, was not just about fitness or tactics but about laying the groundwork and trying to embed her philosophy early.

“My focus is always on my job, making sure the players understand the high expectation, the ambition of the club, making sure they understand the way I want to play,” she said. “I think [preseason] is also a moment where you can work on the cohesion and the dynamic of your team, your squad, so this is something really important for me being new as a manager.”

Winning every game and competing for silverware is expected at a club like Chelsea, but for Bompastor, it’s equally vital that the team embodies her style of play.

“I think the first few weeks I will be observing,” she added. “This is part of the job, and I will be also helping everyone to go for our goals. We have high expectations, and we are already ambitious, so I just want to make sure this time is a good time for me to observe everything, to make the good decisions, to make sure we go in the right direction.

“It’s how I can make sure my players understand my game model. Also, the style I want to play on the field. When I say high [expectations], it’s not about me, but it’s about the players, how they can understand what I’m expecting from them.”

The early days of Bompastor’s reign are crucial for setting the tone and building a foundation of trust and clarity that will drive Chelsea’s pursuit of success throughout the season. The new boss will hope she can build upon Hayes’ legacy, but also wants to create her own. And she is busy preparing her squad to do just that this season.