It probably was not the Chelsea debut Naomi Girma was expecting.
The 24-year-old U.S. women’s national team centre-back played 59 minutes in Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brighton at Broadfield Stadium on Sunday, 32 days after she became the most expensive player in women’s football history.
Chelsea’s $1.1million (£870,000) signing of Girma from the San Diego Wave broke the world transfer record but her debut was cut short when the defender pointed to her calf before limping off the pitch. A minor calf injury kept Girma out of the United States’ January camp and off Chelsea’s game day squad until Sunday.
Last year, Girma and her former side failed to qualify for the postseason in November. She played in USWNT’s friendlies in October and December but missed the two most recent U.S. camps with the same calf issue. It would have been unlikely for her to have played the full match on Sunday given the time off, but how she was substituted did not seem preplanned.
In the 56th minute, Girma attracted the attention of the Chelsea bench before pointing to her left calf. As play continued, she eventually sat down on the pitch where she was seen by the club physios before being substituted for Nathalie Bjorn.
“We will need to assess her tomorrow,” said Chelsea head coach Sonia…
