Bethany England said she felt “wasted” during her final years at Chelsea and admitted her departure from the reigning champions was later than it should’ve been.
After seven years and 74 goals scored across 164 appearances, England swapped the domestic juggernauts for London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in January for a domestic record transfer fee.
The move came as a final roll of the dice for the 28-year-old who had seemingly lost her place in Sarina Wiegman’s England squad after falling further down the pecking order under Emma Hayes.
Despite claiming the WSL Player of the Year award following a strong season in which England helped Chelsea to a league and Conti Cup double alongside new arrival Sam Kerr, the following campaign saw England pushed out of the starting line-up as Hayes opted to use a lone striker, with preference falling to the Australian.
And England said the sudden transition from a starting role to a tangential figure was a difficult one to reconcile.
“It was really difficult, a tough time in the sense that I was playing well, I was scoring,” England reflected while at a squad media day with England ahead of the World Cup. “I know that brought Sam Kerr in halfway through the season and I built up a great relationship with Sam, and then obviously it didn’t transpire to the next season.
“We didn’t play with a front two, [Emma Hayes] opted for a singular number nine which made my chances much more difficult based on who Sam is. She’s a prolific goalscorer so it was hard to fight my way back from that point.
“I probably overstayed a year and a half too long where I felt like I was just wasted there. It was a very difficult time, but I think I built up a lot of resilience from that and I’ve been able to take that to other scenarios in football.”
Upon announcing her Women’s World Cup squad, Wiegman noted England’s newfound “resilience” as a key component to her recall.
And England admitted that the move from serial winners Chelsea to a Spurs side struggling for goals and safety honed a dimension to her game that she did not anticipate.
“At first it was entirely different. I’d say culture shock as well as standard in a way,” England said. “Because [Tottenham] were in a position where they were struggling. I’d never been in a relegation battle before so that was a first for me.
“And when you’ve got something to lose from it, it’s difficult not to let the emotional side affect you. For us, we were fighting day by day but at Chelsea, you’re so used to being in a position where you’re winning that I’d not been in a position like that in a long time.”
The onerous circumstances thrust England into the leadership role, and the striker believes the added responsibility of the move was critical to her World Cup call-up.
“I led from the front, I was trying to make things happen a lot more and not having the ball as much as I used to. In a way it also changed part of my game that has also strengthened other parts of my game.
“So I’d say the move paid off for me, but ultimately if I’d have stayed where I was, sat on the bench, I wouldn’t be here today.”
