Club: Chelsea
Position: Forward
Price: £8.0m
Melvine Malard did enough last campaign to convince Chelsea to cough up big money, but should Fantasy managers follow suit?
After three impressive campaigns on English shores, Melvine Malard enters the Fantasy league in Chelsea blue - having swapped Manchester for London this summer. The 26-year-old reunites with boss Sonia Bompastor, who paved the way for Malard to join the Lyon academy aged 14.
Chelsea’s new addition is no stranger to the big stage having arrived in England with an astonishing four Champions League medals to her name, not to mention her three French league titles and four domestic cup honours. Malard has an appetite for success and having won a maiden FA Cup two seasons ago, she’ll be hoping to contribute to a historic season for the Blues - but is she worth the punt in Fantasy?
Goals on the rise
Malard has always had a knack for knowing where the net is, having picked up the golden boot at the UEFA Under-19 championship back in 2019. She then enjoyed a star-studded campaign for Lyon in 2021/22 as she bagged 17 goals across 34 appearances.
Since arriving in the Barclays Women’s Super League she’s been a consistent threat. She chipped in with seven goals in her first campaign and six the following season but last season she took it up a notch - reaching double figures with her 10 strikes across all competitions.
Whilst the upturn in her goalscoring exploits came in 14 appearances more than she managed the year prior, featuring in more matches can only be a positive for Fantasy managers looking for reliable options.
Her expected goals tally (8.4) was even more encouraging than her six BWSL goals. Malard ranked fifth across the division for xG and now at the age of 26, Bompaster will be hoping she’ll develop into a more accomplished finisher and make her chances count regularly.
Chelsea’s missing piece
Malard was part of a productive attack for Manchester United last campaign, as the Red Devils netted the fourth most in the division. Yet Chelsea were in a different league when it came to carving out openings - generating 12 more expected goals than Malard’s former side.
The Blues are in need of added firepower though, having lost joint-top scorer Sam Kerr this summer as well as veteran Guro Reiten, so there’s every chance Malard spearheads the attack in the former’s absence.
Lauren James’ injury issues are well-documented, and there may come a time where Malard is the starlet of one of the league’s most productive attacks - so the £8.0m price tag looks attractive compared to fellow forwards Alessia Russo (£11.5m) and Khadija Shaw (£12.5m).
2025-26 at a glance
- Goals: 6
- Assists: 3
- Appearances: 21
- Starts: 16
- Shots: 57
- Shots on target: 24
- Yellow/red cards: 3
