Official: Chelsea exercise option to extend Fran Kirby’s contract

Chelsea have announced that the club-option on Fran Kirby’s contract has been exercised, extending it by a single year, to next summer. Kirby’s two-year deal, signed in 2021, was otherwise set to expire next month!

The 29-year-old has been dealing with various injuries yet again this season, which have limited her to just 16 appearances and 9 goals in all competitions. Kirby had stepped away from football briefly last year after suffering from chronic fatigue, but she returned in time to help England win the Women’s 2022 Euros and kickstart Chelsea on our way to a probable Double. More recently however Kirby had undergone a knee operation, which has ruled her out from the 2023 World Cup and the start of the club season as well.

Hopefully she can make a full recovery however and return to dominate the game for a ninth season at Chelsea. We’ve done well in her absence, but when she and Sam Kerr are firing on all cylinders, we can be unstoppable.