Emma Hayes has long had a reputation for being a manager who nurtures her players. At the same time, she has never been afraid to say exactly what she thinks, and her comments before one of Chelsea’s biggest games of the season put some of her players in a difficult position.

Speaking in the lead-up to Chelsea’s Friday night clash with Arsenal, Hayes claimed that relationships between players were “inappropriate”. This was in response to a question about coach-player relationships, a big focus in the Women’s Super League this week after Leicester City confirmed they were investigating an alleged relationship between manager Willie Kirk and one of his players. 

The comment surprised many, particularly given that Chelsea have a couple on the team. England centre-back Jess Carter and German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger joined the club in 2018 and 2019, having begun dating while team-mates at Birmingham City.

The comments resonated because Carter, who has started 15 of Chelsea’s 16 WSL matches this season, ‘liked’ tweets about the comment that evening, including one that said Hayes’ comments were “beyond bonkers”. 

Carter has talked candidly about the support her manager has given her. 

In an interview last month, she said: “(Hayes) helped me mature over the years. She’s helped me figure out who I am as a person and a player.”

In the documentary made about Chelsea’s 2019-20 season, everyone could see how Hayes had done that. 

“I want you to show every fucking day that you give a fuck about yourself,” Hayes tells Carter on camera. 

The documentary demonstrated that Hayes’ love for her players is often of the tough variety. Yet plenty of players have spoken out about how she has supported and motivated them down the years. 

The results on the pitch speak for themselves, too. It’s hard to imagine Chelsea’s domestic dominance could have come with anything other than a united dressing room.

The reaction to Carter’s behaviour has been mixed. Her decision to like tweets about the situation has fanned the flames and some feel Hayes’ more detailed comments on the situation justify her original use of the word “inappropriate”. 

“It’s about the challenges it poses,” Hayes added. “One player’s in the team, one’s not in the team. One might be in the last year of their contract, one might not be. One might be competing in a position with someone else. You don’t need me to spell that out. It presents challenges.”

However, it is easy to see how a player might be upset by the suggestion that her relationship was causing issues at the club. 

Carter and Hayes at the end of Chelsea’s win over Arsenal (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)

Chelsea have a habit of finding new levels in the trickiest of moments. The match against Arsenal ended up being delayed by half an hour due to a kit clash caused by Arsenal only bringing white socks. Once the game started, however, it was obvious they were fired up. Three goals in the opening 32 minutes marked Chelsea’s most impressive performance against Arsenal since they won the 2021 FA Cup final. There was no sense that the players had been impacted by the press conference the day before.

After the match, Hayes confirmed she had spoken to Carter.

“Jess and I have had a conversation today as I have with other players in the team. They know exactly who I am and they know exactly what my intentions were.

“I didn’t think it was right for me to use the term inappropriate. I have zero criticism of any player in my dressing room for anything. Their professionalism for what they’ve given to the club regardless of their status, regardless of who they’re in a relationship with.”

It was not exactly an apology, but Hayes was reflecting on the impact of her words.

Carter, meanwhile, cut a forlorn figure at the end of Friday’s match, walking off the Stamford Bridge pitch on her own. The cameras showed her manager going over to engage with her, but it was a cold reception.

After the match, Hayes covered the subject multiple times in her press conference.

“There’s fallout every day in every environment,” she said. “There are disagreements, there are all of those things.

“Don’t ever think for one minute that there’s a crisis in our environment.

“I’m all about, ‘Let’s bring the elephant out in the room’, and have a conversation about it. Let’s be earnest, let’s be adult about it and don’t shy away from difficult conversations.

“Even though it’s difficult, this is what makes us come out the other side.”

GO DEEPER

Hayes: ‘I let myself down’ over ‘inappropriate’ player relationships comment

That attitude may have helped Chelsea find their best performance of the season against their closest rivals, but there are plenty more matches to go and, as Hayes pointed out, her side has not won anything yet.

The belief in her team to rise above the noise is a testament to what she has built at Chelsea. Given she will be leaving in the summer to take over the USWNT, however, those foundations might be starting to shake. It is much easier to say everything is fine when you know it won’t be your dressing room in three months.

“That’s something that I’ve struggled with sometimes in football,” Carter said last month. 

“Not always being allowed to be who you are.”

(Top photo: Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)