Chelsea coach Emma Hayes is to leave the club at the end of the Women’s Super League (WSL) season “to pursue a new opportunity outside the WSL and club football”, the club announced in a statement following a 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa on Saturday.
Hayes, who joined the club in 2012, has won the WSL title six times and the FA Cup five times in a glittering tenure that has seen her establish Chelsea as one of Europe’s top teams.
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She has previously been linked with the job of coaching the United States women’s national team.
“Given everything she has contributed to Chelsea in over a decade with the club, and the legacy she leaves behind, we would never stand in her way when she felt it was the right time to pursue a new challenge,” Chelsea co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said in a statement.
“There will be plenty of time to celebrate Emma’s many achievements at the club and to give her the farewell she deserves, but for now, as she always has been, Emma will be solely focused on making this season as successful as possible for Chelsea.”
On Saturday, Chelsea had six different players on the scoresheet as they hammered Aston Villa 6-0 to go top of the table on 13 points after five games, three ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who face Arsenal on Sunday.