‘Full circle moment’: Katie McCabe ready for new chapter with Chelsea after Arsenal exit

‘Full circle moment’: Katie McCabe ready for new chapter with Chelsea after Arsenal exit Katie McCabe is ready for a new challenge in west London with Chelsea after more than a decade with rivals Arsenal. For the first time in over ten years, the versatile player is preparing for a season without Arsenal. The Republic of Ireland captain spent 11 years in the red of the Gunners, making more than 300 appearances and winning every major honour available, including the UEFA Women’s Champions League in 2025. Arsenal became her home at 20 years old following her move from Shelbourne. However, this season, the star has swapped red for blue and is ‘itching to get going’. McCabe’s move across London represents one of the most significant changes of her career. The 30-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the option for a further year, bringing an illustrious Arsenal career to an end and beginning a new one at one of their biggest rivals. Rather than dwelling on what she’s left behind, the left-back has thrown herself into the challenge of settling in. “I think for me, it was making sure I was coming in and and kind of getting my head down, getting to work straight away, and understanding how we were going to play and getting relationships on the pitch as quick as possible in order for us to start strong and fast this season,” she said. Did Katie McCabe support Chelsea growing up? Embed from Getty Images For all the significance of leaving Arsenal after more than a decade, McCabe’s move to Chelsea also carries a sense of coming home. Long before signing for Chelsea, she was watching from afar. McCabe has cited fellow Irish star Damien Duff as an inspiration heavily throughout her career. And as a fellow Dubliner, McCabe is relishing the opportunity to recreate what Duff did in a Chelsea shirt. “I was actually watching Jose Mourinho’s documentary the other day,” she said. “It came up that era of the Premiership when he first signed as a manager for Chelsea. That was the Chelsea I remember growing up, and Damien Duff was obviously playing, Arjen Robben on the other wing as well. “Two left-footed players that both I admired, obviously Damien in particular. So I guess it’ll be a bit of a full-circle moment that first game of the season against Villa.” More than two decades on from watching her childhood heroes, McCabe will now walk out at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea player herself. Where will Chelsea play this season? Embed from Getty Images It’s a journey that appears even more significant with Chelsea announcing that Stamford Bridge will be their permanent WSL home this season. Chelsea will leave Kingsmeadow, with all their league matches taking place at Stamford Bridge. AFC Wimbledon will host the club’s Champions League and domestic cup fixtures. For McCabe, she’s relishing the opportunity to play at one of England’s most historic stadiums week in, week out. She said: “I like playing at Stamford Bridge, I think it’s such a historic stadium and I’m really excited to play there this year. “We’ve not been back there since [her announcement], but it’s good. Having played in Stamford Bridge on the other side last year and in previous seasons, it always has a great atmosphere, especially in those big games — the London derbies. “I think now it just gives Chelsea fans a platform to push more attendances and hopefully have more people coming to see us play.” For McCabe, who has played in several sell-outs at the Emirates during her time in north London, she believes now is the ‘right time’ for Chelsea to push and try to match or better their London rivals. Feeling at home in west London Embed from Getty Images McCabe has worked to make the transition as smooth as possible, arriving at Chelsea before the full squad returned for pre-season to get to know the people and surroundings that would soon become her new normal. That early start gave her a chance to familiarise herself with her new surroundings, while a handful of her new teammates quickly helped her find her feet in blue. “Ellie (Carpenter), Nat (Björn), Nay (Girma), and Erin (Cuthbert), were four I got pretty close to from the start, and they’ve kind of showed me the ropes a little bit.” Cuthbert, in particular, offered a familiar face. The pair have known each other for more than a decade, after briefly crossing paths at Glasgow City as teenagers. A fierce on-pitch rivalry would then develop when both were on their respective sides of London and played with their hearts on their sleeve. “Famously, me and Erin played about 20 minutes together for Glasgow City about 12/13 years ago,” McCabe said. “I was over training with Glasgow City and she was actually finishing up there, but yeah we were teammates before. Embed from Getty Images “So yeah, I’ve known Erin for a long time and she’s been great. It’s good to kind of have her there, obviously she knows the football club inside out. She’s a fantastic player, leader, and just a great person to have around the dressing room as well.” Having spent years facing many of her new teammates, the 30-year-old is now learning how to bring out their strengths rather than nullify them. “It’s about then understanding each other then in the same team, and how we can get the best from each other,” she explained. McCabe welcomes growing number of Ireland stars moving to England Embed from Getty Images From Ireland’s last international camp, 16 of the 24 players have transferred this summer. When asked about whose move she is most excited for, McCabe couldn’t choose one. “I think the easy answer is all of them, but I’m genuinely excited for all of them,” she said. She recalls from conversations with Maria Reynolds, who has since joined Sheffield United. “I was kind of like, your next step is moving out of Ireland and going to push yourself, and it’s always interesting having these conversations with younger players because they can either listen or they’ll go the other way and stay where they are,” she joked. “But Maria gave off good confidence and she was wanting to push herself and get out of her comfort zone. So when I’d seen it happen, I was delighted for her.” Reynolds is one of several Ireland internationals to make a move this summer, with Aoibheann Clancy and Saoirse Noonan joining Watford, while Jess Ziu has secured a move to Leicester. Embed from Getty Images For McCabe, these transfers benefit the national team, particularly with the squad preparing for a crucial World Cup qualifying campaign. She believes the transfers between Ireland and England represent increased competitiveness within the domestic game, with more Irish players now willing to take the next step. “I think the Champ’s getting better and better. It’s getting more competitive, which you wouldn’t really say a couple years back.” And having already made that leap herself as a teenager, she knows exactly what it means to enter the unknown. “They know they’ve got my full support when they come over to England,” she said. “I’m just really excited for them.” Related articles from Her Football Hub: WSL: New signing Géraldine Reuteler says it’s a ‘privilege’ to play for Arsenal Could London City Lionesses shake up an unpredictable WSL season? Vivienne Lia Leaves Arsenal to Join Eintracht Frankfurt