“A perfect fit”: How France full-back Ève Périsset could help Chelsea realise their Champions League dream – scout report

With the majority of leagues wrapped up for the summer, attention has now turned to the upcoming summer transfer window, with speculation over a number of players’ futures already rife. One club who have completed some business this week is Chelsea Women, with Emma Hayes’ side previously unable to add new players due to the club being up for sale (just as the men’s side were unable to).

However, their first confirmed signing of the summer is France defender Ève Périsset, who has spent the last two seasons with Bordeaux Féminines and who has never played outside of her home country. Capable of playing anywhere in the defensive line or further forward, the 27-year-old will bring valuable Champions League experience, having won the competition with Lyon Féminin back in 2015/2016, which will really benefit Chelsea in their quest to finally get their hands on European women’s football’s top prize.

This tactical analysis will look in closer detail at Périsset’s game, breaking down her defensive and attacking capabilities and identifying what she needs to keep working on in order to fit into Chelsea’s tactics and style of play. The analysis will also reach a judgement on whether she will improve the reigning WSL champions and add what they are looking for.

Defence

Given that Ève Périsset is a defender by trade, it seems pertinent to begin the scout report with this area of her game. It has already been mentioned that she can play across the back line and slot in wherever required, but there is more to her game than simply being versatile.

When on the pitch, Périsset generally works well with her teammates and works hard to keep their defensive structure, always looking to make it as difficult as possible for their opponents to break them down. In this case, PSG Féminine are in Bordeaux’s half of the pitch, with France forward Kadidiatou Diani in possession and Canada right-back Ashley Lawrence ahead of her, behind Périsset. The Bordeaux full-back is aware of Lawrence and knows that she is effectively outnumbered here, but she holds her position and doesn’t commit to the tackle in this situation, as that would open up the chance for Diani to move the ball away from her and into Lawrence.

Therefore, by staying in between the two PSG players, Périsset has slowed their attack down and made it harder for them to create a clear goalscoring opportunity. This is something that Bordeaux benefitted from during 2021/2022, especially when their opponents had counter-attacked against them, as it gave them time to get back and organise in the middle, so this is one reason that Périsset was so important for them last season.