(Reuters) – Chelsea have signed Canada international midfielder Jessie Fleming on a three-year contract, the reigning Women’s Super League (WSL) champions announced on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old joins Chelsea on her first professional contract after having spent four years with the UCLA Bruins soccer team where she scored 25 goals in 75 games.
Fleming, who made her international debut at 15, has played 77 times for Canada, including the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.
She was also part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
“I knew I really wanted to play in the WSL, I think the league is doing really well right now and there is a ton of fantastic players in the league so that really excited me,” Fleming told the club website https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2020/07/22/chelsea-fc-women-sign-canadian-jessie-fleming?cardIndex=0-0.
“For Chelsea, it was the players here and I wanted to be in a challenging environment.”
Fleming becomes Chelsea’s third new signing following the arrival of midfielder Melanie Leupolz and winger Niamh Charles.
“Jessie is one of the top young players in the world, so for us to beat a lot of other clubs signatures for her is a testament to the work that has been done here for a number of years,” said Chelsea manager Emma Hayes.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
