Jessie Fleming leaving Chelsea for NWSL’s Portland
Canadian midfielder Jessie Fleming has joined the NWSL’s Portland Thorns from England’s Chelsea.
British reports pegged the transfer fee at 250,00 pounds ($425,785). Fleming has signed a contract with the Thorns that runs through the 2026 season.
The 25-year-old from London, Ont., joins fellow Canadians Christine Sinclair and Janine Beckie in Portland.
Fleming has spent the last four years in England, winning three Women’s Super League titles and three FA Cups. She also won the Women’s League Cup and the Women’s FA Community Shield, while finishing as the runner-up in the 2020-21 UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Fleming has won 123 caps for Canada and is seen by many as the successor to Sinclair as Canada captain.
Sinclair retired from international football in December. Fleming has captained the 10th-ranked Canadian women in the past when Sinclair was unavailable.
The move came on the eve of the Women’s Super League transfer deadline.
