Magdalena Eriksson to leave Chelsea this summer after six years with WSL holders | Transfer Centre News

Chelsea defender Magdalena Eriksson will leave the WSL club at the end of this season when her contract expires after six years in London.

The 29-year-old first joined the Blues from Linkoping in her native Sweden in 2017, and has remained a first-team fixture throughout her time at Kingsmeadow, racking up 149 appearances and scoring 11 goals.

She looks set to play her 150th game for the club before her departure this summer, and could yet help the club land their fourth WSL title in a row in her final weeks.

Eriksson has already won four WSL trophies with Chelsea as well as four Women’s FA Cups, three Continental Cups and a League Cup in 2020.

In a statement posted on social media, she wrote: « It’s with a heavy heart and so many emotions I announce that my journey as a Blue will come to an end.

« When I signed for the club the ambitions were clear, Emma’s openness with that really resonated with my own ambitions. I quickly realised it wasn’t just all talk either. Winning was at the heart of everything we did, and that competitiveness was contagious. Six seasons, four WSL titles, four FA cup trophies, two Continental Cup trophies, one community shield later, it’s safe to say that the winning culture is now part of the Chelsea DNA.

« I’d like to thank the club, Emma and Paul for believing in me and supporting me from the moment I signed six seasons ago. It was my first time living in a new country, I took a leap of faith and landed straight into the arms of the Chelsea family.

« I’d like to thank my team-mates, current and old ones. Thank you for all the good times, all the competitiveness, all the support and all the love. You are a bunch of winners, a great group of people who truly knows what it takes. Keep looking out for each other and have each others backs.

« I’ve deliberately saved the best for last. My biggest thank you goes to the unbelievable Chelsea fans. I felt your power on my debut game at Kingsmeadow and you’ve kept growing in numbers and strength ever since. Your relentless support, up and down the country and all across Europe, has played such a huge part in the success of the club.

« You will always have a special place in my heart, a place that will forever remain blue.

« I want to wish everyone at the club the best of luck for the future. It’s been one heck of a journey, and I will carry the memories we’ve created together for the rest of my life. »