Chelsea's Young Stars Shine: Buurman and Thompson Nominated for PFA Award
Chelsea’s new generation is already forcing its way to the front of the stage.
Two of the club’s breakout performers, Vivianne Buurman and Alyssa Thompson, have been shortlisted for the PFA’s Young Player of the Year award after eye-catching debut seasons in blue – recognition voted for by the people who know best: their fellow professionals.
Buurman’s swift rise
Buurman’s Chelsea story barely paused for breath. Signed in September 2024 and immediately loaned back to PSV, she arrived in west London properly last summer and wasted no time making herself at home in the first-team squad.
Twenty-four appearances across all competitions underline how quickly she earned trust. Her first Chelsea goal said even more. In an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur, with tension thick and the stakes rising, the Dutch midfielder stepped up and delivered in style, stamping her name on a rivalry fixture and on the club’s season.
It was the sort of moment that sticks in the minds of opponents. Now those same opponents have helped put her on a national shortlist.
Thompson’s relentless impact
If Buurman’s season was about rapid integration, Thompson’s was about sheer volume and influence.
The forward arrived from Angel City last summer and immediately became a cornerstone of Chelsea’s campaign. She featured 33 times in 2025/26, the joint-highest total in the squad alongside Erin Cuthbert – a telling statistic in a dressing room packed with title-chasing talent.
Thompson didn’t just play. She produced. Nine goals in all competitions made her Chelsea’s second-highest scorer behind Sam Kerr, a return that speaks to both her finishing and her ability to handle the demands of English football at just 21 years old.
When Chelsea needed energy, she supplied it. When they needed a spark in the final third, she often provided that too. The numbers simply confirm what the eye test suggested all season.
A Chelsea stamp on the shortlist
The PFA’s six-player shortlist carries a clear Chelsea imprint: a full third of the names belong to the reigning WSL powerhouse.
Joining Buurman and Thompson on the list are Laura Blindkilde Brown of Manchester City, Freya Godfrey of London Lionesses, Tottenham Hotspur’s Toko Koga, and Arsenal’s Olivia Smith. It is a cross-section of the league’s emerging talent – but no other club can match Chelsea’s double representation.
For a side already defined by serial winners and established internationals, the presence of two young nominees underlines something more ominous for their rivals: the next wave is already here, and it is already competing for national honours.
The verdict now rests with the players’ union. The winner of the PFA Young Player of the Year will be announced at the PFA’s annual awards ceremony at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday 25 August.
On a night built to celebrate the present and future of the English game, Chelsea’s youngsters will walk in knowing they are no longer just prospects. They are contenders.
