A first transfer of a value of US $ 1 million occurred in the female Soccer on Sunday, while the American defender Naomi Girma went from the Wave de Chicago to Chelsea.
Chelsea announced that she had heard with Girma without giving financial details, but the site The Athletic and the British radiudiffuser BBC reported that the Champions of England spent 900,000 pounds (US $ 1.1 million) on this transfer.
This amount surpasses that of US $ 788,000 that the Bay FC paid to obtain the Zambian striker Racheal Kundananji from Madrid CFF last year.
This is the third time that Chelsea has shattered the record for the highest transfer of the female soccer. The club had acquired the Danish attacker Pernille Harder ($ 355,000, in 2020, and the Colombian attacker Mayra Ramirez ($ 542,000), last year.
Aged 24, Girma had a valid contract until 2026 with the Wave. She also attracted the attention of Lyon, in France, and Arsenal, in the English Super League.
Girma was presented at the crowd on Sunday before a match between Chelsea and Arsenal.
“I am so happy and excited to be here. It doesn’t seem real, she said.
-“There are a lot about Chelsea that made me want to come here: culture, the winner’s mentality, the staff and the players. It is an ideal environment for learning and growing. Right now, that’s what I’m trying to do. It was an easy choice for me. »»
Girma made her debut with the American national team in 2022. She took part in 44 games on the international scene, notably winning the Paris Olympic Games tournament last summer.
She was appointed player of the year in the United States in 2023. Emma Hayes, who managed the American team at the Paris Games, described her as a better defender she saw playing.
“Naomi is a world class player who arrives in the best years of her career,” said Paul Green, who heads the Chelsea women’s soccer operations.
“His composure on the ball, his ability to read the game, coupled at his own pace and to his athletic qualities, will add quality to an already very talented team. »»
