Who is Canada’s next superstar in the making at Chelsea Women?

The FAWSL has increased in profile and reputation this summer with the arrival of several big names like Pernille Harder, Valerie Gauvin, and Caitlin Foord. Amidst the arrival of big names, one of Chelsea Women’s signings was one for the future. The signing of Jessie Fleming caused quite a stir with the young Canadian being touted as a future star.

Canada has a number of talented players at their disposal with Paris Saint-Germain duo Ashley Lawrence and Jordyn Huitema and the legendary Christine Sinclair. Huitema is making her name in Paris and now the young Fleming is looking to do the same in England.

This scout report will take a closer look at Fleming’s attributes and tactics that make her such a talented player and one to watch out for in the FAWSL.

Player Profile

Jessie Fleming is a 22-year-old central attack-minded midfielder who is capable of playing both as an ‘8’ or ‘10’. Regardless of position, Fleming’s main attribute and role is that of a playmaker with excellent ball carrying and passing abilities. She has the intelligence to find spaces and look for gaps in opposition defences to thread through balls. 

Equally, she’s very effective at carrying the ball over short distances making her viable in compact defences. Being slight in frame, it gives Fleming a low centre of gravity which makes her adept at gliding through the midfield. She is technically proficient and has the ability to manoeuvre herself out of tight situations and play a pass and progress the ball through transition.

Fleming’s off the ball movement is equally impressive with enthusiasm and aggressive pressing style which is a requirement for a modern-day central midfielder.

Intelligent passing range

Fleming is a player that is effective with the ball at her feet. With an impressive range of passing, she’s able to pick out players and unlock compact, low block defences. For both club and country, Fleming plays as a part of a double-pivot with a play style that is more aggressive as she likes to play slightly higher up the pitch. You’ll find her moving to the edge of the box and look for passing options in the box trying to break down defences.

Chelsea play in a 4-2-3-1 which means that a more defensive-minded partner is required to allow her to play her natural game. She’ll be used in the double-pivot and considering Chelsea will dominate possession in most games, it means that Fleming will have more flexibility to play riskier passes due to the number of options available in front of her.

The heat map above is indicative of the areas she prefers to occupy. We’ve used her total career games due to the lack of games she’s played for Chelsea Women. As you can see there is more activity in the final third of the pitch, just outside of the box which suggests that she’s more of a creator and controller than goal-scorer. Fleming averages 2.05 through passes and 5.86 final third passes which indicates her willingness to transition and play the ball into dangerous areas. The likes of England, Harder, and Kerr are excellent space runners and will benefit from her vision.