Chloe Kelly’s agent has said that the Manchester City winger has found an ‘element of solace after the trauma she has experienced in recent months’ as her move to Arsenal on deadline day put an end to the bitter contract feud embroiling the two parties.
A whirlwind transfer saga between the England midfielder and the WSL side on Thursday night culminated in Kelly accusing City of calling reporters ‘to assassinate my character’ and ‘tried to plant negative stories about me’ moments after she sealed a loan exit away from the club to Arsenal.
Ultimately, Kelly had been pushing for a move away from the club after making only one league start for Taylor’s side this season and, with her contract expiring in the summer, Manchester United was her preferred destination.
But with talks reaching an impasse, Kelly took to Instagram on Wednesday evening where she accused the club of dictating who she could and could not join.
Mail Sport understands that City had accepted two offers that met their valuation of the 2022 Euros winner – one from Brighton and the other from Arsenal, with United unable to meet her contract requirements.
Addressing Kelly’s claims that City had tried to ‘assassinate her character’, her agent said: ‘She had been tipped off by three different journalists that someone was trying to plant stories about her that were linked to the football club.
Chloe Kelly’s agent has said that the Manchester City winger has found an ‘element of solace after the trauma she has experienced in recent months’
Kelly accused City of calling reporters ‘to assassinate my character’ and ‘tried to plant negative stories about me’
The 27-year-old accused ‘people at the club’ of ‘trying to plant negative stories’ about her
‘That is obviously not a reflection of the football club. Chloe has spent four and a half years at City, and 99 per cent of her time at the club has been absolutely positive.
‘But there have been relationships that have become fractured over time, which is not for me to go into detail on, that have affected her, and that’s why she has felt the need to have her voice heard.
‘She didn’t feel like she was being listened to in the behind-closed-doors channels; she was listened to, but not with the gravity of what was happening to her.’
He also added: ‘The reality of it is, it’s plain to see; she wasn’t playing, and it wasn’t good enough for a lead Lioness and a player who has brought so much joy to this country.
‘Her career was effectively on the line, and things were being taken out of her hands as to where she could go.’
City head coach Gareth Taylor said that he has found the breakdown in relationship between the club and Chloe Kelly ‘really disappointing’.
He said: ‘We never like to hear that a player has not had a good experience of being at the club. And I’m sure that’s not the case for the whole period she’s been at the club. Maybe this more recent period, of not playing, but we certainly try to support every single player that we work with.
‘But we’re in a selection-based business, where difficult decisions have to be made for the betterment of the team, and sometimes people and players can fall on the sharp end of that. [But]
‘Arsenal is a rival and they made the best offer, so we’ve certainly not stood in the way of a player being able to go and make the move they want to make.’
In a certain twist of irony Manchester City will host Arsenal in the WSL this weekend, although Kelly is ineligible to face her parent club.
