Sonia Bompastor: Chelsea boss outlines vision for Champions League

Chelsea begin their Champions League campaign in October and automatically qualified for the group stage after winning the WSL last season.

Bompastor said her successor Hayes has left Chelsea in a “great position” and believes the club has all the tools to go one step further and win a European title.

“They were so close to the Champions League final last season,” she added. “I will try to bring my experience and winning mentality to take the next step, but there is no pressure.

“If you want to be honest, when you come to this club, you get everything you need to perform. The club has all the infrastructure we need to perform, they have the players, they have the quality in the staff.”

Bompastor, who had a contract with Lyon until 2025, said it was a big decision to leave the club where she had had so much success as a player and manager.

“I really like to be challenged,” she said. “It’s been a part of my life when I was a player and even when I was a coach. I need to be challenged every day, every week.

“That’s why I love doing this job. Coming to Chelsea is a big step, but this is a place where I wanted to be because I could feel the ambition of the technical directors and the whole club. I just felt that this was the place where I wanted to be.”