Katie McCabe has been a thorn in our side for many years — figuratively, and quite literally as well considering her hard-nosed playing style — but hopefully it’ll be our opponents who will be feeling the pain going forward, with the veteran left back agreeing to join Chelsea on a free transfer today.
The 30-year-old had spent the last ten years at rivals Arsenal (300+ appearances), but she decided to let her contract expire at the end of the season. She’s wasted no time in joining the league’s serial
winners, who will be looking to get back to business as usual next season after a bit of disappointing year (just the one trophy, the Women’s League Cup; I’m not counting this silly World Sevens thing).
“Having spent 10 years at a club like Arsenal has been amazing in a sense, but for me, I achieved all I could achieve with them. At this point in my career, I’m ready for a new start, a new challenge, and a new chapter. Having had talks with Sonia and the club, I really got to grips with their ambitions, how they want to drive it and the direction they want to go in.
“That’s something I’m really passionate about. Having played against Chelsea for so long, I know their ambitions and their winning mentality. I’m still ready for that at this point in my career, and I feel I can give a lot to the club and the fans. I’m so excited to get going. […] I always wear my heart on my sleeve when I’m playing, and I’m just really excited to show that in a blue shirt going forward.”
-Katie McCabe; source: Chelsea FC
McCabe, who captains the Republic of Ireland national team, is the type of veteran signing who could really make a difference on the biggest of occasions. Her arrival will make the expected departure of Niamh Charles (to Manchester City) a bit easier to take.
Welcome, Katie! Let’s win all the things!
