It probably was not the Chelsea debut Naomi Girma was expecting.
The 24-year-old U.S. women’s national team centre-back played 59 minutes in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brighton at Broadfield Stadium on Sunday, 32 days after she became the most expensive player in women’s football history.
Chelsea’s $1.1million (£870,000) signing of Girma from the San Diego Wave broke the world transfer record but her debut was cut short when the defender pointed to her calf before limping off the pitch. A minor calf injury kept Girma out of the United States’ January camp and off Chelsea’s game day squad until Sunday.
Last year, Girma and her former side failed to qualify for the postseason in November. She played in USWNT’s friendlies in October and December but missed the two most recent U.S. camps with the same calf issue. It would have been unlikely for her to have played the full match on Sunday given the time off, but how she was substituted did not seem preplanned.
In the 56th minute, Girma attracted the attention of the Chelsea bench before pointing to her left calf. As play continued, she eventually sat down on the pitch where she was seen by the club physios before being substituted for Nathalie Bjorn.
“We will need to assess her tomorrow,” said Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor in her post-match press conference. “It doesn’t look too bad but we will probably need to have a scan tomorrow.”
Chelsea still leads the Women’s Super League (WSL) with 41 points, five points ahead of Manchester United in second.
Naomi Girma made her debut for Chelsea, playing 59 minutes against Brighton. (Steve Bardens / Getty Images)
If Girma moved to England to experience new opposition, she was deprived of that in her first match as she lined up across from former Stanford teammate Madison Haley. It was a feisty, physical battle that pushed Girma to the limit, as eventual Player of the Match Haley got the better of her on a handful of occasions.
It is not surprising that Girma has not yet readjusted to the physical demands of the game, having not played for a club since October 2024 or the U.S. since December 2024. The frustration for Chelsea will be that they were unable to get the best of her on the ball on Sunday.
Bompastor repeatedly emphasised in January that her desire to recruit another centre back stemmed from wanting to play with a back three formation. She used Girma’s return to fitness to do that immediately: Girma on the left, Millie Bright in the middle and Lucy bronze on the right.
This was a big tactical switch for Chelsea — one which may have been too much to ask of a team returning from international duty and struggling with injuries to key players. Add in the fact that Girma was making her debut and Bronze is not a centre back by trade, and it was hardly shocking that Chelsea’s defence looked in disarray.
Girma’s player dashboard vs Brighton
With Chelsea struggling to build out from the back against an aggressively-pressing Brighton team, Girma had little opportunity to show what she could do on the ball. Her ranking in team statistics was influenced by the fact she played just under an hour but her passing numbers (above) were far below what would have been expected. Several factors could have influenced that, including the efficiency of Haley’s press; the strong relationship between the England trio of Bright, Bronze, and Keira Walsh; the unfamiliarity of Girma in the back line; or a combination of all of these.
“She’s learning about the league, learning about the team, her team-mates,” Bompastor said. “The first game is always a game where it is never easy because it is a competitive league. Her opponent (Haley) had a great game but she’s learning about everything. It was good for us to have her start this game, build minutes and play with the team.”
However, Chelsea spent $1m on Girma to win games with her now, so they will need to solve these issues quickly or risk not getting the best out of her.
“I’m not worried about it. It’s never easy to start with new team-mates in a new league with a different context,” Bompastor said. “It takes time. She needs to build up and I’m confident that she has a lot of quality and we will get there.”
There is no reason for Chelsea fans to panic. Girma’s quality remains and it will show itself at some point. But the combination of a niggling injury and a slate of very important matches coming up quickly means the pressure is on for Bompastor to decide exactly how her defence looks.
(Top photo: John Walton / Getty Images)
