Chelsea have underlined their faith in Katie Cox by handing the academy goalkeeper a new three-year contract before sending her on loan to Nottingham Forest.
The 20-year-old will spend the 2026/27 campaign in WSL 2 after establishing herself as Aberdeen’s first-choice goalkeeper last season.
But the order of Chelsea’s decision is significant.
Rather than simply sanctioning another temporary exit, the Blues have first secured Cox’s long-term future, with the goalkeeper revealing that Sonia Bompastor and the club see her as part of Chelsea’s future.
Katie Cox contract reveals Chelsea long-term plan
Cox has been with Chelsea since the age of eight and progressed through the club’s academy before signing her first professional contract in 2024.
She won the FA Youth Cup in 2022 and later became the first recipient of Chelsea Women’s Academy Player of the Year award. Chelsea have long regarded her as one of the leading goalkeepers to emerge from Cobham.
Her development accelerated considerably at Aberdeen.
Cox featured in 23 of their 26 league matches during 2025/26, gaining the type of regular senior experience that was difficult to find while remaining behind Chelsea’s established first-team goalkeepers.
Nottingham Forest now provide the next step.
The newly promoted WSL 2 side finished seventh during their first season in the division and can offer Cox another campaign of meaningful senior minutes.
ReadChelsea reported earlier on Wednesday that Sonia Bompastor has set Chelsea Women the target of winning everything this season.
Cox may spend that campaign away from Bompastor’s immediate squad, but Chelsea’s new contract suggests she remains part of the bigger picture.
The goalkeeper thanked Bompastor and Phil Radley for their trust after signing, specifically referencing their belief in her future at the club.
Another loan might look like Cox moving further away from Chelsea’s first team.
The three-year contract signed before it suggests precisely the opposite.
