Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor has confirmed Sam Kerr is training away from the group this week while her trial for racially aggravated harassment is ongoing.
The London club are in action on Wednesday evening as they take on West Ham in the semi-finals of the Subway League Cup. They will then host Everton on Sunday in an FA Cup fifth round tie.
Kerr, who has been sidelined for over a year with an ACL injury, is currently on trial at Kingston Crown Court charged with causing racially aggravated harassment after allegedly calling a Met Police officer ‘stupid and white’ in an incident that occurred in January 2023.
Bompastor initially indicated at the end of last year that Kerr would likely return in February or March as she was still training individually. The 31-year-old did travel with the squad to Portugal for a training camp last month but her rehabilitation has been disrupted by this week’s court case.
“Sam is not practicing with us this week,” Bompastor told media on Tuesday. “She is practicing individually.”
“The most important thing is all of us at the club are fully supporting Sam this week.”
The manager has also provided updates on Lucy Bronze and Sandy Baltimore, who both missed the weekend’s WSL win over Aston Villa. “There are no new injuries from the game on Sunday,” Bompastor added.
“Sandy Baltimore and Lucy Bronze won’t be available for the game tomorrow. We will see if they can be available for the game this weekend (against Everton in the FA Cup), but they won’t be in the squad for tomorrow.”
Kerr isn’t the only player recovering from an ACL injury as USWNT forward Mia Fishel also sustained the knee injury while away on international duty in February last year. Bompastor admitted on Tuesday that it is difficult to give an exact return date for the 23-year-old.
The manager concluded: “Mia is doing well. She’s not practicing fully with us yet, but she’s been with us as part of training sessions. She’s also practicing with our under-18s team.
“She is in a really good place mentally and physically she is doing well. So, it’s really positive news for her, even if it is difficult for me to give you a precise date for her return.”
