Chelsea Women have signed Japanese international attacker Matsukubo from North Carolina Courage. The 21-year-old joins the Blues with a strong record, having won the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2023.

What happened?

Matsukubo started her career with the JFA Academy Fukushima side before joining Mynavi Sendai. She then joined North Carolina Courage on a loan deal which was later made permanent.

Why it matters for Chelsea Women

The signing of Matsukubo is a significant boost to Chelsea Women's squad, currently 3rd in the FA WSL with 49 points, 15W-4D-3L from 22 games, and recent form WWWWD. Matsukubo has been capped by Japan on 18 occasions, scoring one goal.

What comes next?

After joining Chelsea, Matsukubo said “I’m so excited to be joining Chelsea, a club with a lot of history. As a small child, I followed Chelsea because it is a club everyone in the world knows about. The club has a strong history of winning trophies and has done so well at the top of the game, so I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, and I want to help continue this club’s tradition of winning trophies for years to come.” With 44 goals scored and 20 conceded, Chelsea Women have a +24 goal difference, and the addition of Matsukubo will look to strengthen their attack as they chase the FA WSL title, currently 6 points behind leaders Manchester City W.