Chelsea completed the signing of Alyssa Thompson from Angel City on Friday in the latest big money move in women's soccer.
The U.S. international signed for a reported fee of around 1 million pounds ($1.35 million) on a five-year contract.
“Chelsea is such an amazing club, one of the best in the world. Being able to play with players that are the best in the world is an amazing opportunity at such a young age and I want to learn, grow and develop a lot,” said the 20-year-old forward.
Thompson was the first pick in the 2023 NWSL draft, becoming the league’s first high schooler to be be drafted.
This season she scored six goals in 16 appearances for Angel City.
“She’s a dynamic winger with electric pace, who can play on either wing and is very good in one-on-one situations,” said head of women’s football at Chelsea Paul Green. “Alyssa is one of the best and most exciting young players in the world, and we’re looking forward to seeing how she develops further during her time with Chelsea.”
Confirmation of Thompson's move comes on the same day that London City Lionesses completed the signing of France midfielder Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain for a reported world-record fee of 1.4 million pounds ($1.88 million).
Other big deals in this window included the $1.5 million paid by the Orlando Pride to sign Mexico star Lizbeth Ovalle from Tigres and Canada striker Olivia Smith's move from Liverpool to Arsenal for $1.3 million.
Thompson is a U.S. national team regular and was on the squad that went to the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Overall, she’s made 22 appearances with the national team since 2022, scoring three goals.
She scored 15 goals for Angel City over 69 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea is the dominant force in women's soccer in England, winning six straight Women's Super League titles and nine of the last 11.
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FILE - US midfielder Alyssa Thompson controls the ball during the first half of an international friendly soccer match against China, Saturday, May 31, 2025, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)
DENVER (AP) — A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the runway of the Denver International Airport during takeoff, airport authorities said, sparking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.
The plane, on route from Denver to Los Angeles International Airport, “reported striking a pedestrian during takeoff at DEN at approximately 11:19 p.m. on Friday," the airport's official X account wrote.
A spokesperson for the airport said the pedestrian, who jumped a perimeter fence, has died. They said the unidentified person was hit two minutes after entering the airport. The person is not believed to be an airport employee.
“We're stopping on the runway,” the pilot tells the control tower according to the site ATC.com. “We just hit somebody. We have an engine fire.”
The pilot tells the air traffic controller they have “231 souls” on board and that an “individual was walking across the runway.”
The air traffic controller responds that they are “rolling the trucks now" before the pilot tells the tower they “have smoke in the aircraft. We are going to evacuate on the runway.”
Frontier Airlines said in a statement flight 4345 was the one involved in the collision and that “smoke was reported in the cabin and the pilots aborted takeoff.” It was not clear whether the smoke was linked to the crash with the pedestrian.
“The Airbus A321 was carrying 224 passengers and seven crew members,” the airline said. “We are investigating this incident and gathering more information in coordination with the airport and other safety authorities.”
Passengers were then evacuated via slides and the emergency crew bused them to the terminal. The airport spokesperson said 12 passengers suffered minor injuries and five were taken to local hospitals.
Denver Airport said the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified and that runway 17L, where the incident took place, will remain closed while an investigation is conducted. It is expected to open later today.
The pedestrian death came a day after a Delta Air Lines employee was killed while on the job at the Orlando International Airport. In a statement, the airline said the employee was killed Thursday night without providing details of the incident nor the name of the employee.
“We are focused on extending our full support to family and taking care of our Orlando team during this difficult time,” the airline said. "We are working with local authorities as a full investigation gets underway to determine what occurred.”
FILE - A Frontier Airlines jetliner taxis down a runway for take off from Denver International airport on Nov. 25, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
