Erin Cuthbert’s new contract has gone down well among those of a Chelsea persuasion and it was greeted most enthusiastically by her manager Emma Hayes, who believes the Scotland international can still improve into an even better player.
The midfielder’s deal keeps her at the club until at least the summer of 2025 and was a welcome boost earlier this week ahead of our blockbuster London derby against Tottenham at a sell-out Stamford Bridge on Sunday lunchtime.
General admission tickets have sold out but you can still be at the Bridge on Sunday with a Club Chelsea ticket, available from just £10. The game will also be broadcast live in the UK on BBC One, kick-off 1pm.
More good news came on Friday afternoon with the sight of Hayes returning behind the manager’s desk to face the assembled journalists at Cobham, with Cuthbert’s contract among the topics discussed.
‘This is a player who has grown from a youngster into almost that senior pro category beyond her emerging talent,’ explained Hayes. ‘She’s established herself as one of the key players in the team.
‘Her role in midfield has been well-documented, she’s tireless in what she brings to this side and I’m thoroughly delighted she’s signed for another term with us. I think Erin will push on now.
‘Knowing what her future is will be important and the challenge for me now is to really push her to add the bits that I think she really needs to go to the top, top level. She’s certainly willing and able to do that.’
Chelsea are currently second in the Women’s Super League, level on points with leaders Arsenal albeit having played a game more. Following our shock 2-1 defeat to newly promoted Liverpool on the opening weekend, the Blues have won eight games in a row in all competitions, most recently away at Manchester United prior to the latest international break.
The margin for error is therefore as small as it has ever been in the WSL but Hayes insists that has always been the case in such a truncated league, with title contenders requiring full focus on trying to win maximum points every weekend.
‘It’s been like that ever since I’ve been here,’ she added. ‘I don’t portion any more expectation to it now than I did prior to that.
‘The cliches that coaches put out about it being one game at a time is merely because you don’t actually have a lot of time between games so you can only really focus on the next game. You have to shift quite quickly in this business.’