Emma Hayes believes Aggie Beever-Jones can become a Chelsea legend – and believes her development is “as good as a trophy”.
The Blues suffered a dramatic 4-3 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday night, all but confirming that Hayes will leave Chelsea in her final year of a glittering 12-year tenure without a single piece of silverware.
Tuesday’s defeat arrives just days after Chelsea were dumped out of the Champions League semi-finals by reigning champions Barcelona, while also losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-finals and Arsenal in the Continental Cup final.
A fifth Women’s Super League title on the bounce represented the last chance to send Hayes off to the USA with silverware, but despite Beever-Jones’ best efforts, Liverpool emerged victorious courtesy of Gemma Bonner’s last-gasp winner.
Beever-Jones, who has been at the club since she was eight years old, put in a scintillating display.
With attacking star Lauren James out with injury along with record-signing Mayra Ramirez, the 20-year-old Chelsea academy product was called upon to ignite the attack. And with nine minutes gone she looked to have done so. Later the England youth international seized a crucial equaliser late on and very nearly supplied a glorious hat-trick had it not been an exquisite save from keeper Teagan Micah.
“It wasn’t and that’s the frustrating thing,” Beever-Jones said afterwards when told her hat-trick could have supplied the much-needed victory. “We wanted to win tonight and we didn’t. But like Emma said, we’re Chelsea and we’ve been in four competitions this year and no other team is doing that.”
Asked how great the desire was to win for Hayes with her departure looming, Beever-Jones said: “Well, I mean it’s Emma Hayes. Emma has been a legend at Chelsea since I was an eight year old in the academy. It’s frustrating.”
Hayes, standing beside the youngster, interrupted the interview to heap praise on her forward and her stellar performance.
“This is what you win in life. When you’re me and you come to Chelsea and you dream of having your own players and your own academy that you can look back fondly,
“Aggie Beever-Jones. Don’t forget that name. She’s going to be a legend not just for Chelsea but for England. She’s going to be a top player and for me, that’s as good as a trophy.”
Beever-Jones’ star has risen all season with Tuesday night’s brace marking her 10th and 11th goals of the season. Despite her tender age, she has quickly developed into a versatile and intelligent player who has become one of Hayes’ default for goals. Earlier in the season, Beever-Jones was invited into the England senior squad while away on an international training camp.
Asked whether a first senior call-up could be on the horizon, Hayes was unequivocal: “She should totally be in that squad and if she keeps doing what she’s been doing, she’ll get there.”
