GOALThe 21-year-old enjoyed her breakthrough in Emma Hayes' final season and has started the Sonia Bompastor era in impressive form
For many, Aggie Beever-Jones' first England call-up came much later than it should've. It was only after a remarkable 2024-25 campaign had come to an end that she was officially included in one of Sarina Wiegman's squads, after she had averaged a goal every 62 minutes for a title-winning Chelsea team. But how her breakthrough season panned out was a perfect encapsulation of the difficulties she faces in making her mark at the highest level for club and country.
To break through at Chelsea as an academy product is not easy, not in this day and age. The Blues have won each of the last five Women's Super League titles and have become a genuine force in the Champions League, meaning the standard in the first team is among the very best in the entire women's game. That's a level that the young players need to match, one way or another.
It's especially difficult to come through as a forward, too. Beever-Jones has been battling with the likes of Sam Kerr, Lauren James and Catarina Macario for game time in the forward line – and those are just three of the Blues' 10 senior international attackers. It's a challenge that extends to England, where she spent last season falling just short of making the cut in squads that featured established stars like Beth Mead, Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly.
But that she forced her way into the Chelsea team, that she eventually got that Lionesses call-up and that she looks set to be an even more important player for her club this season is all a testament to Beever-Jones' talent and work ethic. And as the Blues' Champions League campaign gets under way, she'll be keen to show that she is capable of performing at a consistently high level on the biggest stages – not just to help her club in their bid for that elusive European title, but with one eye on next summer's European Championship, too.
