Chelsea have confirmed Sonia Bompastor as the new head coach of Chelsea Women to succeed Emma Hayes.
Bompastor, 43, arrives to west London after losing the Champions League final Lyon and just over a week after Hayes pulled the curtain down on her 12-year tenure with the Blues, claiming a seventh and final Women's Super League title with the Blues before joining the USWNT as head coach.
Bompastor brings with her a tranche of European pedigree and proven winning culture. After an extensive and glittering playing career during which the French coach claimed the Division 1 Feminine title with France six times (eight in total as a player) and the Champions League twice, Bompastor joined Lyon's academy coaching staff in 2013.
After eight years in the youth ranks, she was promoted to head coach of the senior team after the sacking of manager of Jean-Luc Vasseur in April 2021.
Immediately Bompastor displayed her calibre, winning the Division 1 Feminine without losing a single game, while also claiming an emphatic 3-1 win over Barcelona in the Champions League final that year. Lyon have since claimed the league title every year since under her aegis, while (result on Saturday).
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In total, Bompastor has won seven trophies in her three years at the helm of Lyon, missing out on an eighth in the most recent Women's Champions League final.
On becoming the new Chelsea manager, Bompastor said: “I am incredibly grateful to join Chelsea Football Club as the manager of the women's team. It is an institution in English football. I will give my all to this new project to meet the ambitions of the club, the staff and the players. I hope to live up to Emma's legacy and continue the work that has been done in recent years. Let the adventure begin.”
Sonia Bompastor has been named as the new Chelsea Women head coach (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, added: “Sonia is the ideal candidate to build on Emma’s legacy and take the team forward. She brings a wealth of experience from managing at the highest levels and winning trophies as a player and a coach. Her ethos and values align with Chelsea Football Club. We are all looking forward to having her on board.”
Hayes announced in November that she would leave Chelsea at the end of the WSL season, citing the need to spend more time with her son amid increasing demands on club managers.
The 47-year-old build 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.
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.
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