New signing Fran Kirby is a serial trophy winner who brings a proven goalscoring threat – as Albion know to their cost – and a determination to help the club achieve its ambitions in the WSL.
Among the impressive haul of 116 goals and 76 assists the England international piled up during her nine years at Chelsea are several against Albion.
As recently as January, Kirby was on target when Albion lost 3-0 at the Broadfield Stadium. She also scored in both meetings against us in 2018 and while she wasn’t on the scoresheet when Chelsea beat Albion 4-2 in 2021, she did weigh in with a hat-trick of assists.
She is a serial winner having helped Chelsea win 15 trophies including seven WSL titles, most recently in May when she signed off with the Blues by scoring in the victory over Manchester United that secured their latest league title.
No one knows Kirby better than her former manager Emma Hayes, who says the 31-year-old sets a very high bar for herself and her team.
“Fran’s standards are through the roof, so she’s always frustrated,” said Hayes. “That’s the measure of her and why she is as good as she is. She thinks there’s always room to improve.”
When Kirby joined Chelsea from Reading in 2015 she already had a stellar reputation, having been part of the England squad which secured third place at that year’s World Cup.
At Chelsea she struck up a formidable partnership with teammate Sam Kerr. The duo were nicknamed ‘Kerr-by’ by Chelsea fans after scoring 59 goals when they swept a domestic treble in 2021.
Kirby has also shown tremendous resilience during her career. In November 2019, she was diagnosed with pericarditis, a rare condition that is caused by fluid and inflammation of the sac that protects the heart. The illness left her barely able to walk and kept her out of the game for eight months. She came close to early retirement.
Kirby has fond memories of playing at the Amex for England during the 2022 EUROS. She was part of the team which beat Norway 8-0 in the group stages before the Lionesses edged past Spain in the quarter-finals.
She missed out on England’s run to the World Cup final a year ago because of a knee injury but recovered to make 18 appearances in the WSL for Chelsea. In December, she became the club’s leading goalscorer after scoring her 69th and 70th goals against Benfica, surpassing the previous 68-goal record held by Eni Aluko.
She said, “When I had my illness, my injuries, that’s when I’ve made some friends for life. I will never forget that no matter how bad I felt during those moments, I always felt loved and supported.”
Now she is ready for an exciting new challenge with Albion. “I’m a competitive person and I wanted to come to a club who matched my ambitions, to set high standards on and off the pitch and to use my experience to help the young players develop. I want to help create a culture with a group of players who want amazing success.”