While Chelsea is now likely more concerned with a possible injury to Millie Bright, there is genuine discontent among the club captain with her actions this season, and it seems to have spread within the club.
Back in November, Mary Earps published her autobiography, in which she criticised Hannah Hampton Bright's teammate. This controversy came up during her joint podcast with her bestie, Rachael Daly. They just brushed it aside as gossip. Instead of defending her teammate, they went on to say, “Our podcast is more boots on the ground, preaching positivity and spreading joy.” But they did not come to Hampton's defence, knowing these statements had caused her significant mental pain.
This reaction had been called “spineless” and “pathetic” by fans.
This contradicts Erin Cuthbert's simple reaction: “We never leave a player behind.”
It has been reported that several members of the team and staff were less than impressed by her decision to decline the chance to defend the Chelsea goalkeeper. An attempt to categorise it as “gossip” did not go down well in the camp, when many hoped she would express support for a club teammate.
This led to Sonia Bompasto, Chelsea's manager, coming to her players defense in a strong post-match statement. Saying the comments were a “lack of respect” toward her payer and the manager, this reaction finally forced Earp to face the headlines.
Bompastor said: "If you look at what Hannah said in the previous comments about Mary Earps, then what Mary is saying about her now, one of them is class, and Hannah is the class one".
Bompastor praised Hampton's professional response, noting that her ability to perform well on the pitch despite the scrutiny showed "how good she is" and that she is "the best goalkeeper in the world"
This tension within the squad is only amplified by their recent rocky performance in the WSL, as they see their title defence slipping away. The manager explained that the rocky few games were due to key players being injured. Still, some opposition fans wouldn't take that, given that a Fifa report last week showed Chelsea spent the most on international transfer fees of any women's club in 2025, which only shows that Chelsea are investing in international players.
To add to the animosity, sourcesclose to the squad have said that many of the players are no longer playing for the manager, an argument that becomes believable when you look at the body language of some during the second half at City. Some players are understood to feel they receive far less detailed tactical instructions in Bompastor’s team talks than during Emma Hayes’s tenure. Other sources, however, have passionately defended and praised Bompastor, feeling the blame lies elsewhere, and she has many admirers at the club for her professional approach.
This season, with so many players' contracts expiring in the summer, it is the first time in the professional area that Chelsea's succession planning in the transfer market has gone slightly awry. A source close to the club said that, after the match against Manchester City, many players were performing as if they knew they were leaving this summer.
There will likely be a massive squad overhaul and evolution this summer.
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