Chloe Kelly’s Euros nightmare is edging towards reality – so will Arsenal loan be enough to earn England’s 2022 hero a Lionesses recall?
Sarina Wiegman left the winger out of her squad for the first time this week, so can her Man City deadline-day exit help her get back into the frame?
It’s been clear all season that Chloe Kelly was facing a real fight to be included in the Lionesses’ squad for the 2025 European Championship. This week, though, the extent of that challenge was underlined like never before. When Kelly has been fit, she has been called up at every international break since Sarina Wiegman became England coach back in September 2021. That was until Tuesday, when the match-winner in the Euro 2022 final was absent from the latest Lionesses squad.
In truth, the writing had been on the wall for some time. After all, it was back in November when Wiegman admitted Kelly’s lack of game time was “already” a “concern”. But the “credit” she had built up over time with England meant that she got the benefit of the doubt and remained in the picture at international level despite those obstacles with her club.
To stay in the mix this month, though, was a step too far, as Kelly hasn’t played football in a competitive sense since January 12. Fortunately, she has since sealed a necessary exit from that difficult situation at Manchester City, joining Arsenal on loan for the rest of the season. The question is, is it the right move to revive her Euro 2025 dream?
Wiegman was straight to the point when asked about Kelly’s omission on Tuesday. “She hasn’t played enough, in my opinion,” the England boss replied. “She’s moved clubs now but last autumn, she hardly played and, as I said, she built some credit. But over that time, she made so few minutes.”
It’s been an unfortunate few weeks for the winger, really. After all, in other circumstances, she would’ve had three games under her belt for Arsenal by now. However, the Gunners’ first two games after her deadline-day move were actually against Man City, in the league and then in the League Cup, and she couldn’t feature against her parent club due to the terms of the loan. Then, at the weekend, she wasn’t involved in the FA Cup tie against London City Lionesses as her final appearance for City was in that competition, thus cup-tying her.
Kelly can finally make her long-awaited second Arsenal debut against Tottenham on Sunday, adding to the 16 appearances she made for the club when she initially broke into the first-team as an exciting academy product. But if Wiegman did select the winger for her February squad, that would’ve been the only action she’d have had before two big Nations League games against Portugal and Spain. To leave her out was the right call.
What really came across in Wiegman’s comments about Kelly this week, though, was that she clearly has a lot of belief in the player’s ability to turn things around with this move. “We had a good conversation yesterday and she understands,” the England boss said, before stressing: “She’s not out for the Euros. When she gets back, she’s in full training, of course, hopefully she gets the minutes soon and she can show [what she can do] again, and then, as I said, we’ll revisit it.”
This is a player that Wiegman trusts and knows will deliver for her. When she was called up for Euro 2022, Kelly was only recently back from an ACL injury, but her electric form was too good to ignore. It was a bit of a gamble, really. The winger played just 302 minutes across the final five games of the 2021-22 Women’s Super League season before being selected for that tournament. But she repaid the faith when she scored the winning goal at Wembley and secured the European Championship title.
Kelly has had other huge moments in England colours, too. Her winning spot-kick in the penalty shootout victory over Nigeria at the 2023 Women’s World Cup was another example of her ability to handle the pressure brilliantly. It’s no wonder Wiegman has that belief in her.
It’s clear, then, that if Kelly can get back on the pitch on a regular basis at club level and show strong form, there is a path back into the England squad ahead of the Euros this summer. On the face of it, Arsenal might seem like a strange landing spot in her bid to do that. The Gunners are one of the best clubs in Europe and their squad boasts plenty of talent, with Beth Mead and Caitlin Foord among those that Kelly will fight for a starting place.
But the reality is that Arsenal have needed another winger for a while now. Lina Hurtig has been ravaged by injuries in her time at the club, reducing the depth on offer in the wide areas. Katie McCabe can push forward from left-back, but she has been outstanding in defence this year. Furthermore, Steph Catley, who would fill in for her on the left, has shone at centre-back this season. Finally, while Mariona Caldentey thrived at Barcelona on the left, she’s arguably been more effective in central positions in her first campaign at Arsenal.
For head coach Renee Slegers to keep players in the positions they’ve performed best in, and to relieve the pressure on Mead and Foord, the Gunners needed another winger. In Kelly, they’ve got one with top-level experience who will be chomping at the bit to show what she can do. With Arsenal still in the FA Cup and the Champions League, they need that depth even more – and Kelly should get her minutes.
