Maika Hamano: Chelsea's Rising Star in Fantasy Football

Maika Hamano costs just £5.0m in Fantasy, but nothing about her game feels cheap.

One of the standout young talents in the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Chelsea midfielder looks primed to step out of the shadows this season. The timing could hardly be better. Chelsea have lost several long-serving figures over the summer, and gaps have opened up all over the pitch. Hamano is exactly the kind of player who can slip into those spaces and make them her own.

She’s versatile, sharp, and brave on the ball. Nominally a midfielder, she can operate across the front line or in pockets between the lines, giving the Blues options as they reshape under a new-look squad.

Last term, her league minutes were limited. Hamano featured in just four BWSL matches for Chelsea, though she still left a mark: her only league goal came on the opening day in a 2-1 win over eventual champions Manchester City. It was a glimpse of what she can do when trusted on a big stage.

Then came the January loan to Tottenham Hotspur. A short move across London, but a big step in her development. Ten league appearances later, she returned to Chelsea with far more experience, tougher for the minutes and the responsibility she carried in a different shirt.

Her rise hasn’t been confined to club football. Earlier this year, the 22-year-old delivered one of the defining moments of her career so far, scoring a stunning winner in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup final for Nadeshiko Japan, silencing Australia on their own turf and reclaiming the continental crown. It was the kind of goal that changes how a player is viewed – from prospect to proven match-winner.

That strike sits alongside another major milestone: the Golden Ball at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in 2022, confirmation that her talent travels on the biggest youth stage.

Now she returns to Chelsea with momentum behind her. In pre-season, she wasted no time reminding everyone what she can do, finding the net in a 7-0 victory over Auckland FC. It was only a friendly, but it felt like a statement: give her minutes, and she will respond.

For Fantasy managers, the numbers are hard to ignore. Priced at £5.0m and coming off a 42-point haul last season despite limited involvement, Hamano sits in that sweet spot between budget and upside. She has a track record of fast starts, and Chelsea open their BWSL campaign at Stamford Bridge against Aston Villa on Saturday, September 5 – the kind of fixture that can ignite an early bandwagon.

An expanded 2026/27 season offers more chances, more minutes, more points. If her role grows as expected, 42 points should be a baseline, not a ceiling.

The question now is simple: with trust from the coaching staff and a bigger stage in a reshaped Chelsea side, how far can Maika Hamano push her breakout year?