Chelsea Women will confirm Sonia Bompastor as their head coach next week after Emma Hayes' departure.
Hayes pulled the curtain down on a glittering 12-year tenure with the Blues earlier this week, claiming a seventh and final Women's Super League title in her last season with the club. She has since taken over as the USWNT new head coach, flying out to New York on Tuesday to begin preparations for the summer's Olympic Games.
A Champions League winner as both a player and a manager, Bompastor's European pedigree is extensive and precisely what Chelsea need as they bid to continue their evolution after the Hayes era.
While Bompastor's arrival to Chelsea have been in the pipeline for some time, the French coach could win a second European title with her Lyon side on Saturday as they face defending champions Barcelona in the final in Bilbao.
With Saturday's showdown set, the BBC have reported that an agreement has been reached between the two clubs to postpone any official announcement of Bompastor's hiring until after the final.
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Bompastor will bring a number of new staff with her to west London, including her assistant Camille Abily. With most of Hayes' backroom staff joining in her in moving across the pond, including long-time assistant Denise Reddy, Bompastor will need to fill a number of big shoes.
Hayes announced in November that she would leave Chelsea at the end of the WSL season, citing the need for more family time with her son amid increasing demands on club managers as rationale.
The 47-year-old cut Chelsea into one of women's football's most impressive behemoths in her 12 years in charge, claiming a staggering 16 trophies during her time in west London.
Head Coach Sonia Bompastor of Olympique Lyonnais (Photo by Hugo Pfeiffer/Icon Sport via Getty Images)The debate around who could possibly fill such a gap was fierce at times, but Bompastor is believed to be a fine candidate to not only maintain Hayes' standards but take them to a new level.
After an extensive playing career, Bompastor joined Lyon's academy and was promoted to head coach after the sacking of Jean-Luc Vasseur in April 2021. Immediately, the new coach showed her mettle as she won the Division 1 Feminine without losing a single game and drawing just one. Meanwhile, a 3-1 win over holders Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League confirmed a double for Lyon in her debut season.
Ironically, it was against Chelsea the following season in the quarter-finals that Lyon slipped up in Europe, though Bompastor did claim another league title that season.
Another double is up for grabs this Saturday if Lyon can get the better of Barcelona. So far when these two clubs have met, Lyon have emerged victorious, boasting a 7-2 aggregate victory in their last two contested European finals.
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