Karen Carney expects next Chelsea owner to back the club’s women’s team

Former Chelsea player Karen Carney expects the club’s women’s team to be protected under new ownership.

UK Government sanctions against Roman Abramovich have accelerated the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s Chelsea sale.

The men’s team have been crowned European and world champions during Abramovich’s 19-year Stamford Bridge tenure, while the club have also become a dominant force in the women’s game in England.

Under the management of Emma Hayes, Chelsea have won four Women’s Super League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups and are chasing more silverware this season.

“The whole club is going day by day and I don’t think anybody knows what’s happening,” said the 144-times capped former England international Carney, who spent four years at Chelsea before retiring in 2019 and becoming a television pundit.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that I’m sure even the players and staff don’t know about.

“But what I do know is that the women’s team have always been a part of Chelsea, not apart from it. They’ve always embedded them into their club and absolutely rightly so.

“Chelsea have been the leaders in that and everyone else has joined in terms of women’s football.

“I think if new owners come in they’d be high priority as well to keep investing. You’re not going to come in and let it fall apart.”

Hayes, like men’s team managerial counterpart Thomas Tuchel, has been praised for the way she has handled the crisis that has engulfed Chelsea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the UK Government’s sanctioning of Abramovich.

Chelsea are second in the WSL, five points behind leaders Arsenal with two games in hand, and host Birmingham in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup on Sunday.

“Emma is a