Aimee Claypole leaves on short-term loan

The 18-year-old will join up with Linkoping until late this year, with the Damallsvenskan having been in season since April.

She joins the Swedish outfit, who currently sit seventh in the league after 15 games played, after spending the second half of last season on loan in the Women’s Championship with Lewes, where she featured 11 times, scoring twice and providing three assists.

Before spending time away on loan, Claypole made her debut for the Blues in January of the 2021/2022 season as a second-half substitute in an FA Cup tie against Aston Villa.

A first outing in the Women’s Super League came in March 2023 when Claypole came off the bench in a win over Brighton & Hove Albion, before a third senior appearance followed against Reading, also as a substitute, in the FA Cup later that month.

Claypole has been with the club since the age of nine and signed her first professional contract with Chelsea after turning 18 in November 2023.

During her time in our Academy programme, Claypole enjoyed much success, winning the FA WSL Academy Cup and the FA Youth Cup, and was top scorer in the Women’s Super League Academy for the 2022/23 campaign.

On the international stage, the young forward represented Finland at U15s level and England’s U17s, U18s and U19s.

Everyone at Chelsea would like to wish Aimee every success during her time in Sweden, and we look forward to seeing her continued development.