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USA-bound Emma Hayes 'fully focused' on Chelsea ahead of UEFA Women's Champions League clash with Paris FC

Matt Jones

Updated 22/11/2023 at 18:22 GMT

Manager Emma Hayes insists she's fully focused on Chelsea. The 47-year old will leave the club in May to take charge of the United States national team. However, she's determined not to let the move derail Chelsea's attempts to win the UEFA Women's Champions League for the first time, as they prepare to face Paris FC in their second group game at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.

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Emma Hayes insists she's "fully focused" on guiding Chelsea to European glory as she batted off questions about her future.
The 47-year old will swap London for America in May, when she takes charge of the United States women's national team.
That will bring to an end a glittering 11-year tenure with The Blues, where she has already won the Women's Super League six times, alongside five FA Cups and a pair of League Cup crowns.
However, she's determined to sign off with the one thing that's evaded her, a UEFA Women's Champions League title, of which her pursuit continues on Thursday when Paris FC visit Stamford Bridge.
"My full focus is here with Chelsea," insisted Hayes. "Of course, I have had conversations with people, but I won’t start working there until May.
"There are full-time people in post. They’ve been generous in what they have said so far, but I am here to talk about Chelsea."
The Blues reached the semi-finals of the competitions last year, before losing 2-1 on aggregate to eventual winners Barcelona.
They started their quest for glory this season with a controversial 2-2 draw away to Real Madrid, when Niamh Charles' late strike was ruled out for a more than questionable offside.
Paris FC, who got to the last four in 2012/13, provide an all together different test, and are looking to bounce back from a 2-1 defeat at home to Swedish side Hacken in their opening group game.
Chelsea midfielder Sam Kerr is warning her team-mates not to underestimate their French opponents though, after they beat Bordeaux 1-0 in the league at the weekend.
"The Champions League is obviously really tough," she said. "We go into every game wanting to win, especially at home.
"We have a lot of respect for every team in our group but when we go out, we expect to win. I definitely don't think about must-win games or anything like that. I just think about performing. You can't think about the past or the future in the Champions League."
The Blues have suffered an injury blow in the run up to the game though, with Millie Bright rated touch and go for the fixture.
The England international also missed Chelsea's 5-1 WSL win over Liverpool at the weekend, and Hayes continued: "She is 50/50 for tomorrow. Having so many games in quick succession, we are managing her load.
"We wanted to give her a little bit of extra time, but she is very much in doubt for tomorrow.
"Prior to the Women's World Cup she had surgery on her knee so preparation going into that wasn't ideal. She probably rushed herself back.
"It's not anything that's too detrimental but we're just listening to her body and how its feeling. We'll take decisions on a daily basis."
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