Chelsea’s Maelys Mpomé joins Brighton on permanent deal

Brighton have signed former Chelsea defender Maelys Mpomé on a permanent transfer, the club have confirmed.

The 22-year-old moved from Montpellier — where she made more than 70 appearances — to Chelsea at the start of last season.

She failed to break into the star-studded squad with several highly rated international central defenders ahead of her. She made just two starts in five Women’s Super League appearances.

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Head coach Dario Vidosic said: “We’re pleased to have Maelys with us. She’s had some exposure to the WSL already and we feel she can really develop with us. She’s a versatile defender with a lot of good attributes and we’re looking forward to working with her.”

Though her game time was limited for Chelsea — Mpomé initially signed a four-year deal — and was part of the domestic treble winning side that secured a sixth consecutive WSL title with two games to spare as well as the FA Cup and the League Cup.

She made two appearances in the Champions League.