Official: Belgium goalkeeper Nicky Evrard signs three-year deal with Chelsea

Reporters around women’s football have been saying this deal is final for weeks and today Chelsea finally confirmed it. Standout Belgium goalkeeper Nicky Evrard has signed with the club for three-years, beginning this summer!

Evrard was a key piece of a Belgium squad that entered last summer’s Euros as underdogs but overperformed into the quarterfinals. Evrard was faultless throughout the tournament and came up with huge saves to keep her team in every match they played — even saving two penalties.

Against ultra-loaded national teams France and Sweden, the Belgian defense allowed sixty combined shots with 17 on target, but Evrard was beaten only three times. Belgium were never beaten by more than one goal, losing 2-1 to France and 1-0 to Sweden in the quarterfinals.

Evrard is a tremendous story. The 27-year-old was a semi-professional player when she stepped between the sticks at the Euros. Yet the talent is undeniable, and after the tournament, it was always expected that a big club would come calling.

Suddenly Chelsea’s goalkeeper union is going to be a bit crowded. Veteran and longtime starter Ann-Katrin Berger (signed through 2024) seems to have reclaimed her place after talented backup Zećira Mušović grabbed a handful of starts early in 2023 before signing a contract extension. Chelsea also have six-foot-tall 20-year-old Emily Orman who’s been with the club since age 16.

Orman is likely a candidate to end up on loan, but that still leaves three keepers in or around their prime for Emma Hayes to juggle. However, that’s a problem for next season. Winning the race for Evrard is important, and if the fully professional environment at Chelsea brings out even more from her game then Chelsea may have yet another candidate for world’s best. Thanks to the EUROs, we already know she can handle the bright lights.

Welcome Nicky!