Chelsea’s Sandy Baltimore: ‘I knew football in England was intense, it was what I was looking for’ | OneFootball

Sandy Baltimore stays on her feet for the interview, “I need to keep moving,” says the French forward on the edge of the pitch in the notoriously cold indoor arena of Chelsea’s Cobham training ground. All indoor 4G pitches at training grounds become greenhouses in the summer and are icy in winter and, on the day we meet, the temperature is particularly low.

At 5ft 1ins Baltimore does not tower; and the height that helps create a low centre of gravity that makes her so formidable with the ball at her feet is evident. On those feet, the choice of bright pink Air Force 1s gives a subtle hint to her love of fashion, contrasting sharply with her training gear.

The 24-year-old forward, who can play in a variety of positions including full-back, joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. Having made her first-team debut at 16, going on to make more than 200 appearances for the French club, the decision to leave the capital and a team she knew so well was not easy, but it was an exciting chance to step out of her comfort zone.

“I was coming to the end of my contract at PSG and I wanted a challenge week-in week-out,” says Baltimore. “I knew that the football in England was very, very intense and high tempo and that every week you had a game on your hands, and that was what I was looking for.”

She already had Chelsea on her radar and the former Blue Ève Périsset, who left Chelsea and joined Strasbourg in the January transfer window, gave her a feel for what to expect.

“I had talked to her about signing for Chelsea,” Baltimore says. “Ève explained quite a bit about what it was like to be here, so I had certain preconceived ideas about what to expect. She told me that everyone was really chilled and close together and that everything was a real team effort. She talked about how listened to the players are and how supported you are. She even told me details about the gym layout and other facilities.”

Chelsea had done their homework too and put in the groundwork to bring her in. “They really paid a lot of attention to me before I came here,” she says. “They explained how things would work, what the environment was like, they told me about how it would work with me not speaking English yet and what support they would provide.”

There was a familiar face in post to meet her. The new manager, Sonia Bompastor, who joined from PSG’s bitter rivals Lyon, had admired Baltimore’s abilities from afar. “Things have gone well since she’s arrived here for sure,” says Baltimore. “We’ve only known wins so far, and the one draw. [Sonia] decided to come here because as she wanted another project, another team to work with, in a way our decisions were similar.”

Speak to any Chelsea or former Lyon player and the manager’s desire to win is clear. “It’s competitive,” Baltimore says. “She has got that desire to win lots and sets clear targets at the start of the season.”

The season has been almost faultless, 22 wins and one draw from 23 games but Baltimore is cautious about being too positive. “The season is not over, it’s still a long way to go,” she says. “We have a lot of games, we have the Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup final, you have to not underestimate anyone, keep working and not be complacent.”

Despite scoring in both Chelsea’s pre-season friendlies, a 9-0 defeat of Feyenoord and 1-0 win over Arsenal, finding a fit within the team took a little time, but now she says she “feels good” and relationships with teammates are growing stronger week by week.

“It’s never easy when you go somewhere for the first time and you’re starting out, but gradually in training, with the help of everyone else, you feel that you’re more a part of things and doing a good job. There’s a phrase we use in French, ‘automatisme’, to describe the things that you do automatically, without thinking, stuff that’s instinctive. That’s started to come for me now and I think we’re gelling together. You can always improve though.”

Away from the pitch, Baltimore has enjoyed exploring London on foot, visiting museums and soaking up the city’s shops to sate her appetite for fashion. One thing she doesn’t do though, is watch football. “I love my football because I love playing it, but I don’t watch any football,” she says, before adding: “Maybe if it’s a big Champions League game, I’ll watch it.”

Making sure football remains a joyful experience is important to her. “The joy is why I play football,” she says. “The pleasure I get and the fun I get from playing football ranks above everything else. I don’t ever want to lose that.”

Header image: [Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian]