WHEN Chelsea came calling, Katie McCabe needed no persuading.
After spending 11 years with Arsenal and winning every club trophy available, she decided at the end of last season that it was time to move on.
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Only that move saw her join the Gunners’ biggest rivals.
The 30-year-old says it was an easy decision to make when Chelsea entered the picture, despite also being linked with a move to WSL champions Manchester City.
McCabe told SunSport: “Coming to the end of my contract, I knew it was the right time for a new challenge and a new chapter in my career. I think having spoken to Sonia (Bompastor, head coach) and had those conversations with her, I think she’s an excellent manager in terms of what she’s won, but also as a player too.
“She’s been there and done it as a top player, so having had those conversations, understanding what she wants and the expectations as well was really important for me. I think it suited both of us and I was happy to get the deal over the line and get going as a Chelsea player.”
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Blues head coach Bompastor didn’t even have to convince the full-back to make the switch, because the illustrious history of Chelsea speaks for itself.
“There’s no selling Chelsea as a football club,” she added. “Chelsea have built up over the years with the amount of trophies they’ve won, how big they are in the WSL and in Europe obviously.
“There was no selling Chelsea, it was just more so understanding what Sonia wanted, the expectations and obviously me being able to bring what I bring to the team as a player. It fitted both of us and I’m here now.”
But why Chelsea? McCabe says it was important to maintain her level of football, especially with the Women’s World Cup on the horizon next summer.
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WSL opening weekend fixtures
- 4th September – London City Lionesses vs Manchester United
- 5th September – Chelsea vs Aston Villa
- 6th September – Brighton vs Arsenal
- 6th September – Tottenham vs West Ham
- 6th September – Charlton vs Liverpool
- 6th September – Crystal Palace vs Everton
- 6th September – Manchester City vs Birmingham City
She continued: “I wanted to maintain the level I was at in terms of challenging for the Champions League, the league, the FA Cup.
“That was the most important thing for me and having spoken to the club, spoken to Sonia, it was the best for me.”
McCabe officially began training with her new team-mates in July and was welcomed with open arms.
And just a matter of weeks later, they jetted off to Australia and New Zealand for a pre-season tour.
It provided the perfect opportunity for McCabe to get to know her fellow Chelsea stars.
Initiations took place – although the Ireland captain would not let slip what exactly happened.
“For me it’s a new thing coming into a new team, but the girls have been excellent in terms of welcoming me in,” she said.
“It’s been all go from the start really, just getting to know each other on and off the pitch.
“Obviously I’ve come up against these players a lot in the last few years, so I know a lot of their strengths and weaknesses as players.
“But I think that’s the beauty of pre-season, just getting to know team-mates on a more personal level as well, which is what the tour as well helps towards for a couple of the new players in the team.
“So it’s been really good. The girls have been great. And yeah, we’re just excited to get going.”
McCabe became popular at Arsenal partly because of her leadership qualities both on and off the pitch – qualities that also saw her become the youngest-ever Ireland captain at the age of 21 almost a decade ago.
She is hoping to bring that leadership to Stamford Bridge when fully settled into the Chelsea first team.
The defender said: “For me, it’s coming in and getting my head down and getting to work, earning the respect of my team-mates and showing everybody that I want to work hard for the club and for each one of my team-mates as well.
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“I want to step on the pitch and with that you grow into your role, whatever that may be in the team.
“Obviously we haven’t started the season yet so it’s hard to predict what that will be, but for me when I get the opportunity on the pitch I’ll always bring my experience and my leadership and qualities on the ball.
“We’ll obviously see how things go over the next few weeks once we kick-start the season but it was definitely just making sure I was getting to work and earning the respect of each one of my team-mates.”
Chelsea kick off their WSL season at home against Aston Villa on September 5.
Games against Manchester United and Birmingham follow before they welcome Arsenal to Stamford Bridge.
However, McCabe isn’t thinking about facing her old team just yet.
In terms of goals for the new campaign, she is fully focused on the team.
“For me it’s all about the team. It’s about getting momentum at the start of the season and trying to get wins under our belt.
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“Progressing in the Champions League and getting through that early round which is going to be difficult.
“It’s always about trophies and how well we’re performing as a team.”