On Monday, our new head coach will take charge of her Chelsea team for the first time when we play NJ/NY Gotham in New Jersey on Monday, followed by a clash with London rivals Arsenal in Washington D.C on 25 August.

And it is the American capital which Bompastor holds dear after a spell playing in D.C for two seasons in 2009 and 2010.

She turned out for Washington Freedom in the league that was then called Women’s Professional Soccer. It was the only time in her career the left-sided player ventured outside of her native France.

After playing in the States, she would return to her homeland first with Paris Saint-Germain and then a second spell at Lyon, where she would add seven more trophies to her collection before retiring in 2013.

Even after all the success that came after, it was her time in Washington that left a lasting impact. One she still feels now.

‘I have really good memories of being in America,’ Bompastor says fondly. 'It was maybe one of the best experiences of my life.

‘I had the opportunity to go abroad and to learn about a new country, a new language and a new mentality. It made me someone different.

‘It’s the same about coming to Chelsea. I’m getting to experience something different and I have the opportunity to be the coach of such a big club. I want to bring my values, my behaviours and my trust here.

‘I’m happy to have had all these opportunities in my life. It makes me a better person for having those experiences.’

Fast forward 14 years and Bompastor will mark the beginning of a new chapter in her career and a new era for Chelsea back in the place which means so much to her.

Plenty of hard work has already been put in at Cobham over the last two weeks, and our head coach believes that will come to fruition when her players step out on the pitch as Bompastor’s Blues for the first time.

‘I can’t wait to get to the first game,’ the head coach said. ‘Gotham are in season, so it will be a hard one for us because we are just starting pre-season.

‘It’s about bringing the good team spirit in that game, getting minutes into the players legs and trying to see our game model.

‘We’ve already started the work on build-up phases, creation phases and how we’re going to defend. I hope from the first game we will recognise our style of play.

‘It’s always good to start well, even if they are friendlies. We have to have a winning mentality and I want the players to realise we have to have that every time we step onto the field. Even in a friendly, we play to win.’

The tour, Bompastor says, will be another opportunity to keep getting to know the person beyond the player.

With plenty of activities planned amidst the training sessions and matches, she hopes to return to London with an already close squad and staff as an even tighter unit.

‘I think it’s really important to spend time with the players and the tour is the perfect opportunity to do that,’ Bompastor added. ‘We will be together for almost 10 days; practicing, the games and living together – it’s then when you learn more about people.

‘It’s as equally important to know about the player and the person. I have already had individual conversations trying to get to know them better.

‘I know them better as players because as manager I have played against most of them and I already know how much quality I have in my squad, but it is also knowing about them, their families and life away from football.

‘The tour will be a perfect opportunity to do all that.’