Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Aggie Beever-Jones has been a Chelsea player for her entire career, with loan spells at Bristol City and Everton
ByEmma SandersBBC Sport women’s football news reporter- Published50 minutes ago
England forward Aggie Beever-Jones had her "hardest" season in 2025-26 and when it ended, she had a big decision to make about her future.
Successive ankle injuries meant lengthy periods out of action as Chelsea's title defence faltered, all while her contract was running down.
But despite interest from other Women's Super League clubs, the 23-year-old signed a new four-year deal at Chelsea and intends to play a key role this season as the Blues try to bounce back from a disappointing campaign.
"I look at my career at Chelsea so far and I had quite a successful start," she told BBC Sport.
"Last year, as a club, it was probably our hardest season. We got one trophy, which isn't up to our standards.
"Personally, it was the toughest year with injuries. It put me on the sidelines quite a bit and I really struggled getting consistency back.
"I spent a lot of time this summer recovering to conquer this season and I'm really delighted to have signed a new contract. It definitely felt like the right thing."
'When football is taken away, I feel empty'
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beever-Jones scored the winning goal against Manchester United in the final of the World Sevens Series in May
Beever-Jones used the summer off to recover and travel, visiting Copenhagen and Los Angeles before grabbing a ticket to watch the men's World Cup final.
In that time, she learned to prioritise her body - something she had not thought about as much previously because of her rapid success and consistent goalscoring form.
Successful loan spells at Bristol City and Everton were followed by 11 goals for Chelsea in the 2023-24 season, finishing with the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the WSL and earning an England call-up.
The season after continued in a similar vein. She was Chelsea's top scorer on the way to an unbeaten domestic treble, and capped by winning Euro 2025 with England.
But last season she learned a harsh lesson, only once completing a full game after Christmas while Manchester City ended Chelsea's six-year stranglehold on the WSL.
"It was extremely tough - it was the first big injury I had," Beever-Jones said of her ankle issues.
"I'm never going to go off the pitch unless I'm in absolute agony. There were a few times where I wanted to carry on pushing and my body was not ready and I really struggled with that.
"The mental side isn't always spoken about enough. My job is to be a footballer and as soon as that's taken away from me, I feel empty.
"It's hard to fill that void. You come to training and you try to put on a brave face but you do feel a little bit isolated.
"There were some dark times but I think that's all part of the journey that you need to go on to really appreciate the good times."
Beever-Jones says she feels "stronger" after that challenging period and is ready to fight for a consistent starting role at Chelsea.
She also has her mind on the Women's World Cup next year and to catch England manager Sarina Wiegman's eye as the Lionesses attempt to reach a fourth successive major final.
The striker has netted seven goals in 16 England appearances, including a memorable first-half hat-trick against Portugal at Wembley in 2025.
However, she has often found herself below Alessia Russo and, at Euro 2025, Michelle Agyemang in the pecking order - so is this a crucial season for Beever-Jones?
"That's why I was so gaffed about last year," she said. "[The World Cup is] my ambition and I hope I can get there, but I've just got to take each day as it comes."
Beever-Jones reminded WSL fans of her abilities with a starring role at the World Sevens in May where she scored six goals, including Chelsea's winner in the final against Manchester United.
"The World Sevens tournament was such a good time for me. It was finally when I felt back at full fitness and I was ready to go," she added.
"It was a shame that the season came to an end then but that was me in my flow state - when I'm happy, I'm enjoying it and I'm not playing in pain.
"Obviously it's a really big year with the World Cup and I just hope I can help to grow the game and Chelsea can dominate domestically and in Europe."
Can Chelsea bounce back this season?
Clubs lower down the WSL such as London City Lionesses, Tottenham and Brighton have all made big investments in their playing squads this summer.
At the top end, champions Manchester City have added England internationals Beth Mead and Niamh Charles - from Chelsea - while Arsenal have also strengthened.
However, prior to last season's disappointment, Chelsea had won six successive WSL titles, while they have been in every Women's League Cup final since 2019 and have reached the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League in three of the past four campaigns.
So is it foolish to write them off this season?
"There's been a lot of noise around Chelsea. Other teams are signing but you look at our squad and I'd still say we have incredible, world-class players," said Beever-Jones.
"We've brought in Katie McCabe, Melvine Malard, Manaka Matsukubo - world-class players who have already really impressed.
"We're doing the work behind the scenes that doesn't always get put out in the media. I'm confident within the team we share that common goal.
"I believe we'll show that when we need to. I have every faith that it will be us that wins and that we'll work hard."
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