The website dedicated to women's football across the country, at ALL levels of the game

@en

Back to home page

Carpenter nails Chelsea move

Chelsea is delighted to announce the signing of defender Ellie Carpenter, with the Australia international joining the Blues from Olympique Lyonnais on 1 July 2025.

Carpenter, who has agreed a four-year contract, will be reunited with head coach Sonia Bompastor and some of her former Lyon team mates in SW6.

Despite only recently turning 25, Carpenter already has an impressive CV, with two Champions League trophies and five domestic league titles across her time in Australia and France.

The defender holds a number of records internationally, having made her senior debut for Australia at just 15, and has already travelled to three Olympic Games. She became the youngest woman to ever play football at the Olympics at Rio 2016, aged 16.

On completing her move to Chelsea, Carpenter told the club’s official website: “I'm really excited about this new challenge; it’s a new adventure. It feels like the right move for me, and I can't wait to get started and give my all for this club.

“I'm very proud to join such a big club, one of the biggest in women's football. Chelsea have enjoyed so much success in England, and I'm delighted to now be a part of it.”

Carpenter joins the club having already achieved a lot during a record-breaking career which began in senior football at the age of just 15. In Australia’s A-League Women, she was named Young Footballer of the Year on three consecutive occasions, from 2018 to 2020, lifting the league title with Melbourne City following an unbeaten season.

By the age of 18, Carpenter had secured a move to the US with Portland Thorns, becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in the NWSL. Ten days later, she became the youngest ever goalscorer in the division with a game winning strike against Washington Spirit.  

The defender joined Lyon in 2020, becoming the first Australian player to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League at the end of her first season in France. There, she claimed league titles in four of her five seasons and added a second Champions League trophy under the guidance of current Blues boss Bompastor in 2022.

Paul Green, head of women’s football at Chelsea, said: “Ellie is a player who we have tracked for many years. She has a lot of experience for someone of her age and has won numerous titles in her career, including the Champions League.  

“She is an athletic full back who loves to get forward. We are excited to see how she continues to develop and what she will add to an already talented squad of players.”