Chelsea Young Talents Buurman and Thompson Nominated for PFA Award

Chelsea’s new generation is wasting no time making its mark on the English game.

Two of the club’s brightest young talents, Buurman and Thompson, have been shortlisted for the PFA Young Player of the Year award after standout debut seasons in blue, with their fellow professionals casting the votes.

Buurman’s sharp rise

Buurman’s route to the nomination has been anything but straightforward. She officially joined Chelsea in September 2024, only to head straight back to PSV on loan. Out of sight for some, perhaps, but clearly not out of mind at Cobham.

Last summer she was folded into the first-team squad and quickly showed why Chelsea had been so keen to secure her. Twenty-four appearances across all competitions underlined the coaching staff’s trust; her first goal underlined her talent.

It came in style. In an FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur, with the stakes high and the spotlight bright, Buurman stepped up and found the net, turning a promising season into a statement one.

Thompson the ever-present threat

If Buurman’s campaign was about emergence, Thompson’s was about endurance and end product.

Signed last summer from Angel City, the 21-year-old wasted no time adapting to the pace and physicality of English football. She featured 33 times in the 2025/26 season, the joint-highest appearance tally in the squad alongside Erin Cuthbert – a measure of both her fitness and her importance.

Thompson backed up those minutes with numbers that matter. Nine goals in all competitions made her Chelsea’s second-top scorer, trailing only Sam Kerr. For a first season in England, those are serious returns.

She did not just fill a role; she became a reference point in attack, a constant option, a constant problem for defenders.

A shortlist with a Chelsea flavour

The PFA’s six-player shortlist, announced today, carries a distinct Chelsea imprint. A full third of the nominees wear blue: Buurman, Thompson, and the momentum of a club clearly refreshing its core.

They line up against strong competition. Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Freya Godfrey (London Lionesses), Toko Koga (Tottenham Hotspur), and Olivia Smith (Arsenal) complete a field that reflects the depth of young talent reshaping the domestic game.

Every name on the list has forced their way into the conversation on merit. That two of them come from the same Chelsea dressing room says plenty about where the club is heading.

The winner will be revealed at the PFA’s annual awards ceremony at the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday 25 August. On a night built to celebrate the present and future of English football, Chelsea will arrive knowing their next generation is already at the heart of the story.