Plenty of discoursed followed Aston Villa’s announcement that their first-choice keeper in Hannah Hampton would be departing Birmingham to join Emma Hayes’ Chelsea side at the turn of the season. Already rich with choice in the goalkeeping spot, it seemed as if the then 22 year-old would be signing up to permanent position on the bench behind a variety of other goalkeepers, all rich with talent.

As the campaign kicked off, both Zecira Musovic and Ann Katrin-Berger would be seen battling it out for the number one shirt. Hampton’s debut wouldn’t arrive until the depths of December, as the Blues travelled to Ashton Gate to face a newly relegated Bristol City. Coming away from the meeting with the Robins with a clean sheet and a smile, Hampton made her presence known to the Blues faithful.

Hampton’s run did not stop there, as the devastating announcement came in the form of star-striker Sam Kerr rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament at a training camp in the early stages of January. The omission of a striker and the involvement of a goalkeeper has no correlation, so why would an injury to Kerr mean that Hampton was awarded her opportunity to shine? One answer; nothing is left to coincidence when it comes to the mind of Emma Hayes.

As Chelsea geared up for an all-important meeting with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge, many were surprised to see Hampton’s name on the team sheet an hour before kick-off in West London. A mature performance saw Hampton remain solid between the sticks, and when asked about the decision to opt for the young goalkeeper, Emma Hayes explained with expertise:

“Without having a stretch nine, I knew they [Manchester United] were going to be aggressive, so I wanted to solve the press a different way. Hannah gave us a different option because without Sam [Kerr] who is able to run a little bit longer, we have to find a different way. I knew we had to have composure in the deepest space, Hannah is the best goalkeeper at those things. She is the best build-up goalkeeper of the three of them.”

Hampton’s ability to gain composure with the ball at her feet is where she excels in comparison to her Barclays WSL compatriots, something that Hayes was sure to capitalise on when Chelsea shifted away from a long-ball style in the absence of Sam Kerr.

As the campaign progressed, so did Hampton’s position in the starting lineup. The 23 year-old went on to hold seven clean sheets across just ten remaining matches in the Barclays Women’s Super League, whilst also showcasing her brilliance in Chelsea’s 1-0 victory to Barcelona in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final stages.

Frequent appearances at a club level also saw Hampton awarded chances on the international stage, as Sarina Wiegman opted to hand her a start over Mary Earps in an all-important EURO qualifying meeting with the Republic of Ireland. Garnering a clean sheet under the lights of AVIVA Stadium in Dublin, Hampton put the pressure on Wiegman when selecting her number one. (It is also worth mentioning Khiara Keating, as the young star’s respective breakout year has seen her receive her debut call-up to the senior Lionesses side).

Having made zero errors leading to opposition scores, and operating at a 76.4% passing accuracy [as per Fotmob data] throughout her league stint, Hampton’s stat sheet proves to be just as impressive as what is being watched by the naked eye.

As many doubted Hampton’s summer move away from a season as Aston Villa’s number one choice goalkeeper, a breakout year in Chelsea blue has seen every concern put to bed ever so swiftly.

The departure of Ann Katrin-Berger to NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC will be sure to make Hampton’s frequent starting position increasingly more likely, as the 23 year-old continues to leap from strength to strength in what is sure to just be the beginning of her bright future between the sticks.