Chelsea made a big statement of intent back in January, when they brought in both Keira Walsh and Naomi Girma during the transfer window.

Walsh began the season playing for Barcelona, but now faces an unusual situation as she goes head-to-head with her former team-mates in the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League just a few months later.

'Yeah, it is a little bit strange,' says Walsh. 'I think, obviously, I wasn't expecting it to happen halfway through the season, but I think it's great that Chelsea mirror the ambition I have as a player, in that I want to win the Champions League again. That was a key part of me coming here.

'I think Barcelona also have that ambition. Both squads are really competitive and there's even a lot of intensity in training. I got used to being here quickly because the mentality is similar, I would say.

'Obviously it's a different playing style here, with different players. So I think that took a little bit of time. But I think fundamentally, both squads are full of good people, and the same goes for the staff. So I think in that sense, I would say it wasn't the most difficult transition.

'I think the people here were probably the most important thing, especially in helping myself and Naomi. I would say when you come halfway through a season, it's not the easiest time to come into a team. Obviously, the team has rhythm and everyone's played with each other and you're coming in while the team is challenging for trophies. It's not easy.

'I think that's what the most important thing is, is that they know that and they look after you as people first. Just to make sure that you're okay. And then you can perform at your best on the pitch.'

When Walsh moved to Barcelona from Manchester City in 2022, she didn't speak the language and relied on her new team-mates for help.

That meant she quickly formed bonds with the players at Barca, and she will now go up against them as she pursues her aims with Chelsea.

'Yeah, it's going to be a bit weird,' she smiles. 'When you step over the white line, you’re obviously competitive, but I still have a lot of respect for those girls. They’re my friends, I spent two and a half years there.

'I also had some really, really difficult times when I was there, and they really looked after me. For example, Irene [Paredes], when I was sad and I was missing my family, she used to invite me around for dinner at her house with her wife and her son and her dog. They all tried to make me feel really included.

'So I think for me, those are really, really special memories. And I'll always thank them for that because I was there on my own and it is tough.

'Ultimately though, I play for Chelsea and I want to win for this badge now and I want to win for this club and the fans. I'm actually really looking forward to the game and I'm really motivated for it. So hopefully it'll be a good result for us.'

Walsh thinks that going to a familiar arena for the first leg of the semi-final will stand her in good stead as she prepares for an important game with Chelsea.

Not only that, but having won the Champions League twice in the last two years, she brings the experience of already having got over that hurdle to her new side.

'I've played at that stadium many times and it's a really nice pitch and good quality,' she said. 'So we can get the ball down and play. I don't really have to focus on the external stuff because I know the routine of where everything will be and I can just focus on the game.

'People think it's easy to win the Champions League but it's not. I thought that when I was at Barca and that's where I won twice in a row. You still have really difficult moments in games.

'The first time I won the Champions League there, we were losing 2-0 and none of us expected that. Probably no fans expected us to be 2-0 down at half-time. So I think just drawing on that and knowing that is important.

'At Chelsea, there's going to be periods of the game where our backs are against the wall, but it's knowing that we can get through that and we're going to get chances to score and just having the belief we can get there.

'That was the thing really I remember the most from the first time I won, it was when we came in at half-time. It was the real, real belief that we could actually turn it around. Nobody sat there and thought the game's done.

'It's really having that confidence. I actually think that's what makes the biggest difference. It's not the football you play or how you play. I think it's just sticking together and believing in each other that you can go and do it.

With 84 appearances for England already under her belt, it's clear Walsh has plenty of national pride too.

That's a real motivator for wanting to win the competition on home soil, and in a blue shirt.

'I've always wanted to win the Champions League with an English team,' Walsh continued. 'I think obviously with being English, I think it does make that little bit of a difference. I'll always be grateful for the time that I spent in Spain. And obviously they gave me the opportunity to win two Champions Leagues and I managed to play in both the finals. So I'll never forget that.

'I think with being here and obviously my family are English, I think it'll be a really special feeling [if I can win it with an English club]. Hopefully I can do it in a Chelsea shirt.'

Don't miss your chance to be at Stamford Bridge for the second leg of our Champions League semi-final against Barcelona on Sunday 27 April. Tickets are still available here.