The window shut earlier this week with Chelsea Women having not brought any fresh faces through the door. Hayes acknowledged we had regularly bid for and subsequently acquired some of the world’s top players over the years, the likes of Sam Kerr and Harder, but there were reasons why that did not happen again last month.

‘Our decision not to add to the squad this window was because strategically we always prefer to do our business in June,’ she said.

‘January is a notoriously difficult window in men and women’s football. That was proven the case in this one. We are happy with our squad as it stands. I much prefer to focus on June windows.’

Hayes was also asked in Friday's media conference at Cobham if there was a chance Eriksson and Harder could leave the club in the summer when their contracts are due to expire.

‘Discussing players and their current situations and links to clubs is not a place for this forum,' she replied.

'It’s between me and the players, and the club and the players. Everybody knows they’re in the last six months of their contract, so yes, that’s a possibility.’

Focusing on the football, Hayes then looked ahead to this weekend’s WSL clash with London rivals Tottenham.

We beat Spurs in the Continental Cup last midweek but Hayes is expecting a trickier contest this time around as we look to make it seven wins from seven against Tottenham in the WSL era.

‘They were happy with that performance, and they built upon that with a win last week,’ she noted.

‘They’re always a tough team to play against. We had to work hard to get into a good position, make changes from the bench.

‘They’ve improved their playing squad in the January window. Because of that, and players coming back from injury, they will be even tougher for beat.

‘We have had a brilliant training week and I’m looking forward to seeing how we transfer that into the game,’ added Hayes.

‘We have a game next Thursday and then the international break, and then when we return it’s a game every three days until the following international break, with maybe one respite in between. We are just gearing up for that last part of the season.’

For the second time since leaving Chelsea at the beginning of the year, Bethany England will be coming up against her former club at Brisbane Road.

Hayes knows England all too well from the many happy times and trophies won they enjoyed together, and she emphasised we will have to be on top of our game to keep the striker quiet in east London.

‘She’s going to bring goals to that team. She links well. Her leadership from the front, experience from being at a team like ours, she will be bringing a lot to Tottenham’s frontline, and we certainly know the threats she will be bringing to our defence.’