Chelsea have confirmed that Lauren James sustained an injury while representing England at the Women’s EURO 2025 in Switzerland. James was part of the team that secured their second consecutive European Championship title, starting four matches and scoring two vital goals. She has now returned to Chelsea, where she will undergo a period of rehabilitation.
Sam Kerr has been sidelined for 19 months, beginning with an ACL injury in January 2024. During her long recovery, she has also dealt with challenges off the pitch, including a lawsuit, while preparing for the arrival of her first child.
Despite those setbacks, Kerr says she is excited to be back with the squad for Chelsea’s pre-season camp in the Netherlands:
“During an injury, you’re alone a lot. So it’s good to be back with the girls, just doing the same training sessions as them rather than solitary rehab sessions. Being in camp like this helps you get to know all the new faces.
“It’s nice to be back with the girls, back on the pitch, and yeah, I’m excited. I’m most looking forward to being out there, scoring goals and having fun. Getting back to normal and being with the team is great, too.”
What it’s like with the new manager
Ahead of the 2024/25 season, Sonia Bompastor replaced Emma Hayes and guided Chelsea through a highly successful campaign. Kerr has yet to feature on the pitch under the new manager, but she is positive about the new leadership:
“It’s been good. Sonia’s very demanding as a manager. I’ve only been back in training for a couple of weeks with her, but I enjoy working under her and Cami [assistant coach Camille Abily], they’re great. It’s a big change for me, but they had a lot of success last year, so I’m looking forward to playing under them.
“Every coach I’ve worked under has been outwardly ambitious. But when you play at a club like Chelsea, people genuinely believe you can do it. So that’s the difference. We’re still going for that Champions League win, but domestically, we can back up those statements.
“But I’ll let Sonia do the talking. My focus is on trying to better the team and better myself, that’s for sure.”
Source: Chelsea