Don’t worry you haven’t missed anything, I’m not out here breaking news and I don’t have any insider information. However, ever since it was announced that Fran Kirby was leaving Chelsea at the end of this season after nine years, Brighton fans have been whispering – do we have a chance here?

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So do we? Well, yes…and no. In the article below I’ll present a for and against argument as to why it could or should happen, versus why it won’t or shouldn’t and you can make your own minds up. Deal?

FOR

Star Power – Not only would Kirby instantly become our best player (sorry everyone else), but she’d bring a massive amount of offseason attention to the club. From a commercial and footballing perspective it would be a coup if we were able to bring her to Brighton and a clear signal of intent to the rest of the league.

Attitude – This is just purely based on my own opinions about her, but Kirby doesn’t seem the fame-hungry, money is everything, bigger and better things-type character. I believe she wants to be valued, I believe she wants to leave a legacy (and has at both Reading & Chelsea), and I believe she enjoys playing football. I honestly think we can give her all of those things at Brighton.

The Lioness Look – It is almost universally acknowledged that to draw the real crowds you need a fully-fledged England Lioness in your team. Now we had Katie Robinson briefly, who has now dropped back into the U23 setup, but she may end up departing at the end of the season anyway with her contract due to expire. To secure the services of Kirby would take it to another level. Granted her international career may be starting to wind down, but she has been one of the best English talents in the last decade and is extremely well-known in women’s football circles.

Good Time vs Long Time – I still think that Kirby has a couple of years at least as one of the best creative players in the WSL. Could she potentially sign for a year or two elsewhere and then retire off the proceeds? Maybe, but if the Albion were willing to go to say four years with the understanding that towards the end of the deal she may transition into more of a leadership role, that long-term security could be tempting.

Home is Where the Heart Is – Prior to joining Chelsea, Kirby had only ever played for Reading as she rose through the age groups. Whilst Brighton isn’t in immediate proximity to Reading, or London, it also isn’t all that far. In fact you can travel to both in about two hours, faster if we’re talking South London. Whilst that might present a lengthy commute, if you lived down here it would be pretty easy to travel back to see friends and family as you wished.

Teammates – We have two Norwegian center backs and honestly adding a third, with Maren Mjelde also leaving Chelsea at the end of the season, could be a wise move to inject some additional experience into the lineup. Kirby is a close friend of Mjelde, and Brighton may be one of the few clubs that could accommodate them both.

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AGAINST

Finances – Whilst Kirby is still a big draw and she would instantaneously become our most valuable asset (I’d argue), she also presumably was on pretty good wages at Chelsea. Whether the financial package it would take to bring her here is actually feasible for the club, remains to be seen. I would also be against mortgaging our entire future on one player, it would have to be part of a number of moves which improves the squad sufficiently to drive other factors such as attendance and merchandise.

Once a Lioness – Kirby is still an excellent player and may well still be in and around the England squad. With the majority of Lionesses still coming from the so-called ‘Big 4’ teams, would she be willing to drop down to our level?

Elite Competition – I said above that Kirby could well look at joining another club – perhaps even at a Champions’ League level – for another year or two. This may well be preferable to her rather than joining the Albion which would be viewed as more of a project.

A Road Less Travelled – It could be that having played in Reading and South-West London all her career that Kirby wants to experience something different. With the NWSL growing in popularity and coverage this season, would anyone be shocked if she headed abroad – particularly to the States?

Teammates – If we are to consider this a factor we must also consider it as a factor as to why she may not come to Brighton. Other clubs may be willing to make more lucrative or attractive offers than we can to either or both players.

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Hopefully that has been a useful exercise. I genuinely do believe we have a chance to sign Fran Kirby. Not a big chance, but a small one – and I’ll take that. We have to believe as Albion fans that we can be in the running for players of her calibre, otherwise what are we doing here?

Whatever happens, we wish Fran all the best with her next move and we won’t take it too personally if she doesn’t become a Seagull – unless she scores against us for her new club that is!