Chelsea's WSL dominance in danger as two superstars could leave alongside Hayes

The Blues are sat in a familiar spot at the top of the WSL table heading into the latter half of the season, having won all but two of their games so far.

They also remain on track to achieve a historic quadruple this season having topped their Champions League group and consequently also received a bye through to the League Cup quarter-finals.

But this could be the last season see such levels of success.

The Blues will soon part ways with their manager of 12 years, Emma Hayes, who is leaving the club to take over as manager of the US Women's National Team at the end of this season.

And Chelsea could also be set to lose two of their on-field superstars this summer.

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Striker Sam Kerr and midfielder Fran Kirby both have just six months remaining on their club contracts.

The duo have been instrumental to the club's dominance in English football over recent years, with Kirby scoring 61 goals in 101 appearances for Chelsea and Kerr standing not far behind her having netted 58 goals in just 75 appearances.

Sam Kerr

Kerr, who has suffered a season-ending ACL injury while on a training camp with Morocco, has been with the club since 2020 and there are fears she might not be seen again in a Chelsea shirt.

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While it has been reported by 90min that Kerr has signed a contract extension keeping her at the club until 2025, Chelsea have not yet announced any extension.

Hayes also refused to comment upon the striker's future at the club when she speaking at a press conference ahead of their fourth-round FA Cup clash against West Ham on Sunday 14 January.

The outgoing Chelsea coach urged that Kerr's recovery from injury was the priority at the moment.

She said: "I think with the announcement last week, the focus for Sam right now is on rehab.

"I'm sure when the time's right to discuss her future, that time will come from Sam and the club.

"Sam loves Chelsea, and Chelsea loves Sam, so I think that's the most important thing to say on that front."

Kerr has had a difficult last 12 months with injury; she missed a number of games for Australia at the 2023 World Cup after picking up a calf injury.

She had seemed to settle back into her Chelsea role in the beginning of the WSL season, but her ACL injury mean she will not be adding to her 4-goal tally this season.

But the 30-year-old, widely considered to be one of the greatest strikers in the game, will be determined to continue competing for the biggest titles on the biggest stages.

Whether Chelsea continues to be the right place to do that could well depend on Hayes' successor, with former Manchester United manager Casey Stoney and Seattle Reign manager Laura Harvey believed to be the current frontrunners.

Elsewhere, Kerr's fiancée Kristie Mewis, recently made the move to West Ham - a factor which could influence Kerr's decision to stay in the WSL if the Hammers manage to save themselves from relegation this season.

Fran Kirby

Despite Kerr's brilliance, it is Lioness Kirby who still holds the record as Chelsea Women's all-time top goal-scorer.

Kirby has been with the club since 2015 and has won an impressive 13 major trophies during that time.

The midfielder, who also has a European Championship and 69 England caps under her belt, would be an unthinkable loss to a club who also lost stalwarts Pernille Harder and Magdalena Eriksson last season.

But Kirby told the BBC that she had not yet had any discussions with Chelsea about her future there.

She said: "At the moment, there has been no conversations between myself and the club. I want to continue playing football and continue playing football at a high level.

"I still feel I have a lot to give wherever I am, whether that's at Chelsea or that has to be somewhere else. But I love the club. I've been here a long time and have some great friendships with players and staff.

"I still want to be competing and playing consistently so obviously that's a decision that has to be made."

But Hayes urged speculators not to jump to conclusions about the lack of discussions that had taken place so far.

"When it comes to Fran, it's not unusual for players going into the last six months of their contract."

"Fran knows that our goal with her is to keep her on the pitch for 100 per cent of the season, not less than 50 per cent. She understands that.

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"Sometimes she's a bit impatient and wants to do everything at once. We know what a talent she is, what we can expect from Fran and I'm sure when the club and the player have something to announce they will.

"But I don't think anyone should be too panicked just because of the timelines. We've worked over 11 years to put in place a structure to make sure we're always planning and preparing and I think Chelsea's future is in a very good place."