KATIE MCCABE WAS always going to be met with a hostile reception on her Arsenal reunion.
Chelsea’s new recruit was booed every time she touched the ball in the London derby in September.
The noise and vitriol ramped up just before half-time at Stamford Bridge, as McCabe went to take a corner in front of the 3,600 sold-out away end. Her former admirers celebrated a yellow card – for time-wasting – but she had the last laugh as her new side won 1-0.
Chelsea’s reworked, ‘We’ve got McCabe,’ chant rang out as she was subbed off late on, while manager Sonia Bompastor made a beeline for the Ireland captain at the final whistle. Her smile after their warm embrace spoke volumes.
Bompastor encouraged her to lead the celebrations, and hailed how she dealt with the emotions and was motivated by the booing afterwards.
“When you have been at a club for so long, it’s expected, especially when you move to a London rival,” McCabe told Sky Sports.
“I have a lot of respect for the Arsenal fans, we have been through a lot together but, for me, it was time for a new chapter in my career and coming to Chelsea and the way Sonia wants to play, with the quality we have in the team, I was really excited about it. I’m really happy about it.”
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Celebrating with Bompastor after the Arsenal game. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
McCabe has been thriving at Chelsea. She has been one of their best players this season as they sit second in the WSL – two points behind champions Manchester City ahead of their top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have stuttered and strained and struggled. Renée Slegers’ side are flailing in sixth – 12 points off the summit – ahead of their meeting with big-spending and high-flying London City Lionesses at the Emirates on Sunday evening.
The contrast between McCabe and Arsenal’s fortunes since their summer parting is stark.
The 31-year-old left-back departed the Gunners at the end of her contract, after over a decade in which she won every title possible and made over 300 appearances. The club did not offer her a new deal in January as they planned for a squad overhaul, but made a late U-turn and McCabe ultimately decided to pursue a fresh challenge.
A switch to the blue side of London stunned Arsenal fans and rocked the WSL, their intense rivalry a bedrock of the league. But McCabe – a childhood Chelsea fan – has settled well and enhanced Bompastor’s star-studded squad.
Arsenal welcomed eight major signings in a busy transfer window, with England back-to-back Euros winner Georgia Stanway and Spain World Cup champion Ona Battle the headline arrivals. Battle – a Champions League holder with Barcelona – was viewed as McCabe’s direct replacement, four years younger, amid this squad refresh.
As pre-season predictions were cast, the Gunners were widely backed to win the WSL and end a seven-year wait for domestic league glory. Those hopes now look dead in the water after a dire start. After nine games, they have dropped just one less point than the entirety of last season, when they finished second.
McCabe in action against former teammate Alessia Russo. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Slow opening stanzas have been a common theme for Arsenal in recent years, but this is extraordinary. They have dropped 14 points from a possible 27, draws at home to newly promoted Crystal Palace and Birmingham City proving particularly costly – alongside two others, and losses to Chelsea and City.
Champions League winners as recently as 2025, they have blown hot and cold in Europe too. An impressive 1-1 draw against Barcelona at Nou Camp on Thursday could prove a turning point, complementing a 2-1 win over Liverpool last weekend. But Arsenal have relied heavily on the goalscoring form of Alessia Russo, and have been patchy defensively. They look like they have been lacking leadership at times, with McCabe’s absence glaring.
New full-back Battle can play on both sides, but was presumably signed to operate predominantly on the left. USA star Emily Foxe is the first-choice right-back, but Battle has appeared more comfortable when deputising on that flank. Taylor Hinds and Smilla Holmberg are among other full-back options. Arseblog recently highlighted Arsenal’s right-sided bias while attacking, with McCabe’s creative spark on the left notably lacking. (X user Yash lays it out in this brilliant graphic.)
As per Opta, McCabe was involved in 97 open-play attacking sequences for Arsenal last season, more than any Chelsea player. During her time at the Gunners, only winger Beth Mead registered more assists (49 vs 44) or created more chances (346 vs 280).
McCabe has carried that attacking threat to the Blues, and currently leads the WSL stats for most chances created per 90 minutes with 3.89. She topped that same category for Chelsea in five of her seven league starts this season, chipping in with several assists and general defensive solidity – bar some lapses.
Fans hold a flag for Katie McCabe. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The Dubliner appears to be Bompastor’s first-choice left-back, as the French coach typically rotates. She was again an unused substitute in Champions League action midweek, meaning she will most likely start against City on Saturday.
Although in a crunch period with club, Ireland duty is never far from her thoughts. The countdown is on to next month’s World Cup play-off against Poland as she hopes to lead Ireland to back-to-back finals tournaments in Brazil next summer.
But until the time is right, club will remain the focus, as McCabe – this week nominated for FAI Senior Women’s International Player of the Year and recently shortlisted for the Fifpro Women’s World 11 – thrives at Chelsea and Arsenal stutter.
There was a feeling in some quarters that the Gunners would come to regret letting her go at the peak of her powers, and that seems particularly striking ahead of a defining weekend in the WSL.
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Katie McCabe thriving at Chelsea as former side Arsenal stutter
KATIE MCCABE WAS always going to be met with a hostile reception on her Arsenal reunion.
Chelsea’s new recruit was booed every time she touched the ball in the London derby in September.
The noise and vitriol ramped up just before half-time at Stamford Bridge, as McCabe went to take a corner in front of the 3,600 sold-out away end. Her former admirers celebrated a yellow card – for time-wasting – but she had the last laugh as her new side won 1-0.
Chelsea’s reworked, ‘We’ve got McCabe,’ chant rang out as she was subbed off late on, while manager Sonia Bompastor made a beeline for the Ireland captain at the final whistle. Her smile after their warm embrace spoke volumes.
Bompastor encouraged her to lead the celebrations, and hailed how she dealt with the emotions and was motivated by the booing afterwards.
“When you have been at a club for so long, it’s expected, especially when you move to a London rival,” McCabe told Sky Sports.
“I have a lot of respect for the Arsenal fans, we have been through a lot together but, for me, it was time for a new chapter in my career and coming to Chelsea and the way Sonia wants to play, with the quality we have in the team, I was really excited about it. I’m really happy about it.”
McCabe has been thriving at Chelsea. She has been one of their best players this season as they sit second in the WSL – two points behind champions Manchester City ahead of their top-of-the-table clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have stuttered and strained and struggled. Renée Slegers’ side are flailing in sixth – 12 points off the summit – ahead of their meeting with big-spending and high-flying London City Lionesses at the Emirates on Sunday evening.
The contrast between McCabe and Arsenal’s fortunes since their summer parting is stark.
The 31-year-old left-back departed the Gunners at the end of her contract, after over a decade in which she won every title possible and made over 300 appearances. The club did not offer her a new deal in January as they planned for a squad overhaul, but made a late U-turn and McCabe ultimately decided to pursue a fresh challenge.
A switch to the blue side of London stunned Arsenal fans and rocked the WSL, their intense rivalry a bedrock of the league. But McCabe – a childhood Chelsea fan – has settled well and enhanced Bompastor’s star-studded squad.
Arsenal welcomed eight major signings in a busy transfer window, with England back-to-back Euros winner Georgia Stanway and Spain World Cup champion Ona Battle the headline arrivals. Battle – a Champions League holder with Barcelona – was viewed as McCabe’s direct replacement, four years younger, amid this squad refresh.
As pre-season predictions were cast, the Gunners were widely backed to win the WSL and end a seven-year wait for domestic league glory. Those hopes now look dead in the water after a dire start. After nine games, they have dropped just one less point than the entirety of last season, when they finished second.
Slow opening stanzas have been a common theme for Arsenal in recent years, but this is extraordinary. They have dropped 14 points from a possible 27, draws at home to newly promoted Crystal Palace and Birmingham City proving particularly costly – alongside two others, and losses to Chelsea and City.
Champions League winners as recently as 2025, they have blown hot and cold in Europe too. An impressive 1-1 draw against Barcelona at Nou Camp on Thursday could prove a turning point, complementing a 2-1 win over Liverpool last weekend. But Arsenal have relied heavily on the goalscoring form of Alessia Russo, and have been patchy defensively. They look like they have been lacking leadership at times, with McCabe’s absence glaring.
New full-back Battle can play on both sides, but was presumably signed to operate predominantly on the left. USA star Emily Foxe is the first-choice right-back, but Battle has appeared more comfortable when deputising on that flank. Taylor Hinds and Smilla Holmberg are among other full-back options. Arseblog recently highlighted Arsenal’s right-sided bias while attacking, with McCabe’s creative spark on the left notably lacking. (X user Yash lays it out in this brilliant graphic.)
As per Opta, McCabe was involved in 97 open-play attacking sequences for Arsenal last season, more than any Chelsea player. During her time at the Gunners, only winger Beth Mead registered more assists (49 vs 44) or created more chances (346 vs 280).
McCabe has carried that attacking threat to the Blues, and currently leads the WSL stats for most chances created per 90 minutes with 3.89. She topped that same category for Chelsea in five of her seven league starts this season, chipping in with several assists and general defensive solidity – bar some lapses.
The Dubliner appears to be Bompastor’s first-choice left-back, as the French coach typically rotates. She was again an unused substitute in Champions League action midweek, meaning she will most likely start against City on Saturday.
Although in a crunch period with club, Ireland duty is never far from her thoughts. The countdown is on to next month’s World Cup play-off against Poland as she hopes to lead Ireland to back-to-back finals tournaments in Brazil next summer.
But until the time is right, club will remain the focus, as McCabe – this week nominated for FAI Senior Women’s International Player of the Year and recently shortlisted for the Fifpro Women’s World 11 – thrives at Chelsea and Arsenal stutter.
There was a feeling in some quarters that the Gunners would come to regret letting her go at the peak of her powers, and that seems particularly striking ahead of a defining weekend in the WSL.
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