Sam Kerr Set for Gotham Fc Return on Free Transfer

Sam Kerr is set to join gotham fc on a free transfer after her contract with Chelsea expired, bringing the 32-year-old back to the NWSL for a third stint. The move gives the reigning champions another proven scorer as they sit fifth in the standings.

Sam Kerr and Gotham Fc

Kerr previously played for Gotham when the club was known as Sky Blue FC from 2015 to 2017, scoring 28 goals in 40 appearances. She is now set for a return to the same organization after leaving Chelsea in May.

Her next spell in the league adds another familiar name to a roster that already includes former Chelsea teammates Jess Carter, Ann-Katrin Berger and Guro Reiten. Gotham also signed Jaedyn Shaw in an intraleague transfer and has been active while trying to close the gap above it in the table.

Chelsea’s Six-and-a-Half Years

At Chelsea, Kerr spent six and a half years and left with 116 goals in 158 appearances. During that run, Chelsea won five WSL titles, three FA Cups and three League Cups, and Kerr collected two consecutive Golden Boot awards in 2020-21 and 2021-22.

She finished second in Ballon d’Or voting in October 2023, then sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury in January 2024. Kerr was sidelined until September 2025, but she ended the 2025-26 season with 17 goals and three assists in 30 matches across all competitions, scoring eight times in her final eight matches.

Gotham Fc’s Next Step

Gotham has been building around the move on and off the field. Earlier this month, the club announced plans to construct its first-ever training facility in New Jersey at a cost of around $35 million, while Yael Averbuch West was promoted to president of soccer operations.

Kerr’s final Chelsea goal came in a 1-0 win against Manchester United in the final WSL match of the season, and her return now shifts the focus to how quickly she fits into a Gotham side trying to turn a fifth-place position into a title defense.