Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor has revealed that Sam Kerr will return to Chelsea's squad for the first time in close to two years for their WSL opener against Manchester City on Friday.
The Australia international has been out of action after suffering a knee injury in January 2024 followed by a lengthy period of rehabilitation.
"Yeah, Sam Kerr is on [in] the squad, so she will be involved in the game [against Manchester City]," Bompastor told reporters on Thursday.
"Yeah we don't know yet if she will start or not but yeah she is in the squad.
"She is in a good place, she has been training well she's physically in a good position she's also mentally in a good position, because again I think she's one of the players everyone wants to see on the pitch."
Despite her superstar status and leadership experience, Bompastor stressed that there must be an element of patience with Kerr making her Chelsea return after such a long time out.
"Yeah that's nice for me also to have her in the squad with her leadership, her experience but in the same time I think to be fair to her she's been away from the pitch for a long time," she said.
"I think we need to still be patient with her, and that's normal for her not to be at the best level yet but hopefully soon and that's already a good step for us and for her to be in the squad."
Kerr's time out of the Chelsea squad also saw her embroiled in legal trouble. In February, the striker was found not guilty of racially aggravated harassment of a police officer in London.
Meanwhile, sources have told ESPN that Angel City FC forward Alyssa Thompson boarded a London-bound plane on Thursday in an attempt to finalise a move to Chelsea with Bompastor remaining coy on Thompson's potential arrival on deadline day.
"There are always speculations in the transfer window," Bompastor said.
"For me, the most important and from the beginning of the week I said that to everyone I want to focus on the game tomorrow and I want to focus on my players ... We are facing a big opponent so my focus is all on that.
"I always said for me that's really important to have quality and talent in the squad when you want to achieve success, I think that's also important for us to have depth in the squad.
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"If there are some opportunities we'll be open to that but again for now the main focus is on the game."
Chelsea have brought in four players so far this summer and Bompastor suggested a unique way she could potentially avoid questions about a fifth incoming in Thompson this window.
"I should pretend I don't understand English, then it will be easier for me," she said.
Bompastor and Chelsea's quest for a seventh successive WSL title kicks off against Manchester City on Friday before they head to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa next Sunday.
Information from ESPN's Jeff Kassouf contributed to this report.