Keira Walsh has long been linked with a return to the Women's Super League. Across the past three transfer windows her name has cropped up multiple times, but never in connection with Chelsea despite the club being known admirers. Arsenal always were the frontrunners, so what has changed?
The England international moved to Barcelona for a then world-record fee when leaving Manchester City back in 2022, helping them win back-to-back Champions League titles, but has entered the final few months of her contract.
It's no secret that Walsh has been eyeing a return to the UK. Arsenal tried to tempt her away last summer but the fee was always going to be a sticking point. Barca wanted a sizeable return on their hefty investment and were under no pressure to sell - the Gunners' offer had to be irresistible. It wasn't, and now the climate has altered in Chelsea's favour.
The midfielder, who would walk into any WSL first XI, has the luxury of choice. And there is no doubt the 'pros' column at Chelsea far outweighs what Arsenal are currently able to offer the 27-year-old, in the peak years of her career.
Sonia Bompastor's side are seven points clear at the top of the league having not lost a game since the Frenchwomen's seamless takeover from Emma Hayes. They remain one of three teams still unbeaten across Europe's big five leagues alongside Barcelona and Lyon and are on equally solid footing in the Champions League - a competition Walsh would be eligible to play in for Chelsea despite representing Barca in the group stages.
A move to Chelsea is simply the safer bet. They are the WSL's destination club. There is no rolling the dice with detail-obsessed Bompastor - a proven winner, whose impact on the league in the six months since replacing Hayes has been profound.
They are streets ahead of nearest rivals in every sense and not shy of flaunting their status.
The most recent meeting between Chelsea and Arsenal neatly encapsulates the point. The north Londoners have enjoyed an impressive resurgence under Renee Slegers, playing themselves back into the title picture, until they met the WSL leaders at Stamford Bridge and were ruthlessly undone.
Perhaps the result was not reflective of the game. Maybe Arsenal deserved more. But the fact remains that the Blues have effectively ended the Gunners' pursuit while making their own charge fairly unassailable. And as the gap widens, Chelsea's allure becomes more and more appealing for the game's top talent.
What will, and should, hurt Arsenal most is the opportunity that has slipped through their fingers.
Last summer they were front of queue and could have persuaded Walsh to join if they were willing to satisfy Barcelona's demands. Rather than stump up the necessary cash they waited in the wings, hoping to lure Walsh to the Emirates on a free a year later - a plan with obvious flaws and even greater consequences.
The inescapable feeling that another world-class player has strengthened Chelsea's cause must be of huge concern to the entire cluster of clubs wishing to rival the five-time reigning champions. Manchester City - with whom Walsh won the WSL in 2016 - should be equally worried as Chelsea attack this brave new era head on in pursuit of more riches and that elusive Champions League crown.
Intentions have never been clearer.
Arsenal were in the running for Naomi Girma, too, before Chelsea's £890k transfer was confirmed on Saturday morning - another symbol of the chasm between the two clubs. The new world-record defender was paraded at Stamford Bridge before kick off as a timely reminder of Chelsea's pronounced power.
Of course investment must always be considered and books balanced - Arsenal repeatedly talk about wanting to operate in a sustainable way (the chief reason Viv Miedema was allowed to leave for Man City last summer) - but they are the most commercially successful club in the WSL. They generate bigger revenue and consistently draw greater matchday crowds than Chelsea.
What they don't do is win titles.
And for the game's greatest talents, Walsh included, that will always be the biggest pull.
Most expensive transfers in women's football:
1. Naomi Girma to Chelsea, £900k
2. Rachael Kundanaji to Bay FC, £685k
3. Barbra Banda to Orlando Pride, £581k
4. Mayra Ramirez to Chelsea, £426k
5. Keira Walsh to Chelsea, £400k
