Chelsea Duo Shortlisted for PFA Young Player of the Year

Chelsea’s rebuild has found a new heartbeat, and now the rest of the league has taken notice.

Blues duo Isa Buurman and Alyssa Thompson have both been shortlisted for England’s PFA Young Player of the Year award, recognition voted for by their fellow professionals after eye-catching debut campaigns in Chelsea blue.

Isa Buurman

For Buurman, the journey has already had a couple of chapters. She officially joined Chelsea in September 2024 but stayed at PSV on loan, only stepping fully into the London spotlight last summer. Once she did, she settled quickly. Twenty-four appearances across all competitions, a steady presence, and one moment that stamped her name into the season’s storyline: her first Chelsea goal, a stylish strike in an FA Cup quarter-final win over Tottenham Hotspur.

Alyssa Thompson

Thompson arrived with a different kind of noise. Signed from Angel City last summer, the 21-year-old brought pace, directness and a fearlessness that instantly suited the tempo of the WSL. She didn’t just play regularly; she became a fixture. Thompson made 33 appearances in the 2025/26 campaign, the joint-highest total in the squad alongside Erin Cuthbert, and backed that workload up with end product.

Nine goals in all competitions tell part of the story. Only Sam Kerr scored more for Chelsea. Thompson’s contribution, though, stretched beyond the numbers: relentless running, constant threat, and a willingness to shoulder responsibility in big moments that belied her age.

Their inclusion means Chelsea account for a third of the six-player shortlist announced today, a clear sign of where the club’s next generation sits in the domestic landscape. The competition is fierce. Manchester City’s Laura Blindkilde Brown, London Lionesses’ Freya Godfrey, Tottenham Hotspur’s Toko Koga and Arsenal’s Olivia Smith complete a talented field, each of them staking a serious claim to be recognised as England’s standout young performer.

The verdict now rests with the players who have faced them, chased them and tried to stop them all season.

The winner will be revealed at the PFA’s annual awards ceremony at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday 25 August — a night when one of these rising stars will see a breakthrough campaign officially crowned.