Lexi Potter, the new kid on the block

18^th March 2026 will be a date that Lexi Potter remembers forever. Handed her first Barclays WSL start by Sonia Bompastor in a must-win encounter against Brighton, the 19-year-old wrote herself into Chelsea folklore as she scored her inaugural goal for her childhood club, a finish that secured the Blues a vital victory.

Following in the footsteps of Aggie Beever-Jones before her, she has become the latest Chelsea Academy product to make her mark on the senior side, one of a current crop of exciting youngsters that Bompastor’s team has emerging through its pathway.

The game against Brighton was a stand-out performance from the midfielder who has had to remain patient. A senior debit and a smattering of minutes in the Champions League in the early months of the campaign was followed by her first 90 in the Blues’ 9-1 Subway Women’s League Cup victory just before the winter break. Recently, however, she has been a more regular participant, featuring 11 times in Chelsea’s 15 matches since the turn of the year and receiving back-to-back starts in the league.

“Being in an environment with such world class players, you do learn a lot from them,” she said while on camp with England U23s. “It’s helped me to add a lot of things to my game. Off the pitch, you learn things tactically and, on the pitch, technically. You see passes that you probably won’t have seen before… When I get the chance to [play], they make it really easy for me. They give me the ball a lot and talk to me. I’m just really lucky to get the opportunity when I do.”

From a young age, it has been evident that Potter has possessed the potential to reach the top. A skilful box-to-box midfielder, she has moved almost seamlessly through the youth setups for both club and country since joining Chelsea at the age of 8. In 2023, she became the youngest player in England to sign a professional contract at the age of 17 before committing to a four-year deal with the club just over a year later.

Two consecutive loan spells at Crystal Palace where she got valuable minutes to continue her development. She was a crucial part of the Eagles side that secured promotion to the Barclays WSL in the 2023/2024 campaign, making 19 appearances and scoring her first professional goal against Lewes. She then returned to Laura Kaminski’s side for their inaugural campaign in the top division where she was equally as present with 18 league starts.

Potter’s attributes as a midfielder are clear. She is best used as an 8 but possesses the versatility to operate across the midfield. Standing at 5 foot 8, she has the physical presence to dominate in her duels as well as the bravery and intuition to be able to unlock opposition defences from the centre of the park.

Technically astute and brave in possession, she has the close-ball control skills to operate in tight spaces and wriggle out of pressure she has no right to escape from. It will not have come as a surprise, therefore, to watch her spin around Brighton’s captain Maisie Symonds, holding off her more experienced opponent with ease before sending the ball accurately forward to the forwards in front of her.

Against Brighton, she was clearly fearless in looking to get involved, making 72 touches (5^th highest) and completing 46 of 51 passes (90%), a slightly higher percentage than her midfield partner Keira Walsh who has taken her under her wing.

“[Keira]’s top. Sometimes I say to my mum, ‘Oh wow, I can just go and speak to her,’” Potter says with a laugh. “She’s approachable and really helps me out off the pitch. She tries to bring me out of my comfort zone. On the pitch, she talks to me a lot… I think we have a good connection.”

She backed up her stats from the Brighton game against London City Lionesses the following week. While she may have seen less of the ball, she was precise once more when she did, completing 90% of her passes once more.

When she is not making space for herself, she is creating it for those around her by making instinctive runs to drag defenders away. Another quality is the timing of her runs into the box, one of the aspects of her play that makes her a quintessential box-to-box midfielder. For her first league goal, she was involved at the start of the move, spreading the ball out to Sandy Baltimore down Chelsea’s left, before holding her run into the box to ensure she reached the centre of the action at the perfect moment to react quickest to the loose ball.

While her attacking qualities are clear, Potter also possesses the defensive attributes required of her positions. Against London City Lionesses, she was right at the top in terms of her duels – she won 8 (joint 1^st), won 89% of her ground duels (1^st) and made four tackles (joint 2^nd). Her ability to break up opposition attacks and transition the play to set her team away on the front foot is crucial.

The high regard in which she is held by her club is mirrored by England. Having captained both the U17s and U19s at their respective Euros, she received her first call up to the U23s last October, most recently helping them to the final of this season’s European competition. She will be eligible to be part of the squad that heads to Poland for the U20s Women’s World Cup this autumn, another opportunity to gain valuable experience as she aims to catch Sarina Wiegman’s attention.

In the meantime, however, Potter’s focus will be on continuing to build on the strides she has made. This has, without doubt, been her breakout season in a Chelsea shirt and she will be one of the Barclays WSL’s emerging stars to keep an eye on over the next few years.

Word credit: Sophie Downey