It was almost exactly one year ago when Chelsea unveiled new signing Naomi Girma to the world ahead of kick-off in a crucial Women’s Super League clash against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.
The move made waves across the women’s football landscape and beyond as the Blues secured one of the game’s biggest stars before going on to beat our London rivals on home turf thanks to a late Guro Reiten penalty.
Girma described Chelsea’s culture, winning mentality, staff and players – as well as her new home being a top environment in which she could learn and grow – as the reasons for her move from San Diego Wave in her home city of California.
Now, a year on from that dramatic unveiling, we face Arsenal at Stamford Bridge once more. Girma has come full circle in the 12 months since her arrival. She looks back at the letter she wrote to her future self when she first signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Chelsea and discovered she’s on the way to achieving a lot of what she initially set out to do.
‘Chelsea feels like home now,’ Girma smiles as she reads back her list of hopes and aspirations from one year ago. ‘I have really developed as a person since I arrived. I’ve moved away from home and created a new home for myself. I’ve found friends, and I feel part of a community.
‘Having fun and enjoying myself is a really big part of who I am, and it’s how I do my best. I've tried to do that every day that I’ve been here, and it’s something I definitely want to keep doing too.
‘It was great when Alyssa (Thompson) and Ellie (Carpenter) joined in the summer. It meant I wasn’t the newbie anymore! It's been really fun. I have enjoyed getting to know more people and becoming closer to different people on the team.'
Girma’s first year in Blue has not all been plain sailing. Her debut on 2 March lasted just 59 minutes before she had to withdraw due to injury, and she did not return until the first leg of our Women’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona seven weeks later.
From that point onwards, the American showed the Chelsea fans exactly what she could do, impressing in a series of key appearances as we secured an unbeaten Women’s Super League title and a 3-0 win in the Women’s FA Cup final. That run gave Girma a taste of what success in Blue looks like, and she’s hungry for more.
‘Last year, we finished strong by winning those three competitions,’ she continued. ‘Now, we’re at the same point of the season as when I joined, and we're in a position where we can still do it all. I want to go into the second half of the season with that same mentality as when I arrived at the halfway point last year.
‘Training with this team every day with the quality of players we have here has definitely helped me improve.Sonia (Bompastor) has helped me continue to grow as a defender in terms of smaller details, positioning, technique, and pushing me to the highest level.
‘Players who have played here for a long time give me tips about the opposition in terms of what they’re good at or what they like to do. Getting those little tips from other players is always really helpful.
‘They might remember something that really worked last time we played a certain team. I think it’s important to take those learnings and use them as a whole group.’
Facing the same opponent at Stamford Bridge at the same time of year will certainly evoke memories of Girma’s spectacular arrival.
This year, Chelsea have a bigger mountain to climb as we sit six points behind WSL leaders Manchester City. Games against the Gunners and then Man City in our next two outings give us a chance to reduce that gap and stake our claim on a seventh consecutive league title.
Only this time, Girma won’t just be waving to the crowd. She’s fit and ready to go as her story comes full circle and we face a pivotal clash with Arsenal once more.