England's most beloved player who almost quit football. Chloe Kelly and her crazy season

Strong Story Chloe Kelly

Kristina Němcová January 15, 2026 • 5 min read

England's most beloved player who almost quit football. Chloe Kelly and her crazy season — Photo: IMAGO | Anadolu Agency

"For a long time I’ve tried to work through professional challenges privately, not commenting publicly, but with my situation increasingly being debated in the public domain I feel it’s time to be open and transparent and you heard it from my perspective. A key lesson I have learned in my life is that whilst I can't control someone's negative behaviour towards me, I can control how long I am prepared to tolerate it."

These words were written in January 2025 on Chloe Kelly's Instagram page, who at the time was playing for Manchester City. However, during her five seasons with the Citizens, she did not receive the pitch time she needed, and there was also speculation that relationships in the locker room with then-coach Gareth Taylor were not good. Kelly ended her statement by saying that she wish to be happy again.

For a short while, it was rumored that Kelly might move to main rivals Manchester United. Those rumours were quickly put to rest by Arsenal, who on the final day of the winter transfer window announced that the 27-year-old striker would wear their jersey for the remainder of the season. At the time it was only a loan move, but with just six months left on her City contract, it was clear that no one would see her in their colours again.

I am coming home

For Chloe Kelly, the move to the Gunners was also a “homecoming,” as she described it herself. It was at Arsenal that she spent the early years of her youth career, along with Leah Williamson. Kelly amused fans with a welcome scene involving her new teammate Katie McCabe, in which they referenced one of their previous matches, when McCabe had struck Kelly in the face with the ball. The teammates showed that they are able to take the sins of the past with humour.

And if Kelly said in January that she wants to be happy again, at Arsenal she very likely became happy. She made her first appearance in the North London derby against Tottenham, which the Gunners won 5:0 at home soil, a match that also set a new attendance record, with more than 47,000 spectators.

Wearing the red and shirt, Kelly earned the playing time she needed. Despite also battling injury, she scored two goals and three assists in eight matches. With Arsenal, she celebrated winning the Champions League. To this day, Arsenal remain the only English club in women’s football to have achieved the ultimate success in the top European club competition.

How could I not?

After such success, it was clear that Kelly is gonna stay in North London. In July, she announced that she would not be returning to Manchester City and nobody was suprised. It then became only a matter of time before Kelly became a Gunner on a permanent basis. What had long been obvious to everyone finally happened shortly before the Euros, when she ceremonially signed her contract with the words, “How could I not?”

And many football fans, Gooners or not, were especially grateful in July that Kelly had not quit football back in January. It was largely thanks to her that England went on to defend their title once again. She already played a major role in the triumph in 2022, when the Lionesses won the title for the first time in front of a sold-out Wembley. It was Kelly who scored the decisive goal in extra time in the final against Germany. Her celebration, when she took off her shirt in sheer joy, became a symbol of the entire tournament.

The head coach of the England women’s national team, Sarina Wiegman, places great emphasis on clearly distinguishing between players she starts and those who have a crucial role as substitutes. Kelly falls into the latter category, which only goes to show that Wiegman’s system works.

Clutch Kelly

In the quarter-final against Sweden, Lionesses were losing 2:0, and even in the 75th minute it looked as though their journey to defend the title would end there. Kelly came onto the pitch in the 78th minute, and just seconds later she provided an assist for an English goal by Michelle Agyemang. Shortly afterwards, she repeated the feat, and after her pass the score was level. The same pattern followed in the semi-final against Italy, where she failed to convert a penalty in extra time first, but thanks to her quick reactions she then scored the goal that sent England into the final.

In the final, she came onto the pitch already in the first half as a replacement for the injured Lauren James, with England losing to Spain 0:1 at the time. Once again, it was a Chloe Kelly cross straight onto the head of Alessia Russo, whose header equalised and sent the title match into extra time. The European champions were ultimately decided by a penalty shootout. Kelly stepped up to take the decisive penalty — pressure that not everyone can withstand. She converted it confidently, and moments later she was able to celebrate the successful title defence together with her teammates. And just like in 2022, she was one the most important players in this fairy tale.

Although Kelly does not appear in the starting XI very often and is more of an impact substitute, she is a very valuable striker for both the Lionesses and Arsenal. This has been recognised by fans and journalists. She finished fifth in the Ballon d’Or voting and was also nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award.