Young Chelsea attacker Niamh Charles is proving to be an exciting prospect for the club despite playing just 72 minutes of Barclays FA Women’s Super League football so far this season.
The 21-year-old made the switch to Kingsmeadow last summer after leaving former top flight club Liverpool.
Charles has been made to patiently wait for her playing opportunities so far this season. Despite having been given just 72 minutes of Barclays FA Women’s Super League football, she holds some of the best goal creation averages in the entire Chelsea squad.
The youngster’s only goal in a Chelsea shirt so far came in The Blues’ 9-0 thrashing of Bristol City at Kingsmeadow in early September. In terms of goals scored per 90 minutes played, Charles currently averages 1.25 goals-per-game, that is the second-best goal average of all Chelsea squad members with Sam Kerr marginally beating her with a 1.34 goals-per-game average.
Charles has also provided one league assist meaning that she has the same assists-per-game average (1.25). This record is significantly better than Fran Kirby’s second-best record of 0.7 assists-per-game.
When you combine the attacking statistics together, Charles has been involved in more goals-per-game than any of her Chelsea teammates. She has created 2.5 goals-per-game on average, a record that is better than Kerr (1.34), Kirby (1.23) and Pernille Harder (1.04).
Charles has had to bide her time for games this season and is yet to make her full debut for the club in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League. Given her goal involvement in her cameos to date, the attacker has put forward solid claims for regular involvement and she deserves an opportunity to start in the New Year.