Chloe Kelly accuses Manchester City of ‘assassinating her character’ before move | OneFootball

The England winger Chloe Kelly has accused Manchester City of attempting to “assassinate her character”, as she leaves to join Arsenal on loan for the remainder of the season.

Kelly, whose move was announced by the two WSL clubs at 11pm GMT on Thursday as the transfer window closed, used social media late on Thursday to allege that her parent club had been “planting negative stories” about her in the media. City have been contacted by the Guardian for a response.

It was the second time in just over 24 hours that Kelly had aired her disappointment at City, having posted a longer statement on social media on Wednesday night, accusing the club of dictating who she could and could not join.

On Thursday, the 27-year-old wrote: “So disappointed to find out tonight that people at the club are briefing journalists against me if I am to sign at a club before the window shuts. They’ve called reporters to assassinate my character and tried to plant negative stories about me in the football media.”

She added that any such allegations against her were false, before concluding: “To those responsible, I am disappointed in this. As I said in my previous statement, I just want to find happiness again.”

The Guardian understands that City accepted bids for Kelly from Arsenal and Brighton but that a bid from Manchester United was rejected because City did not feel it was sufficient and were unwilling to help strengthen their local rivals. According to Sky Sports, Kelly turned down the chance to join Brighton earlier in the window.

Kelly had been seeking a move after being frozen out at City, making only one start in the WSL this season amid reports linking her with a move. She said in her statement on Wednesday that she accepted she had no future at City beyond the end of her contract in June.

Kelly broke her silence in an apparent last-resort plea to be permitted to leave. “The situation has dragged on far too long, it’s disappointing and not right,” she posted. “Ultimately I just want to be happy again.”

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