Maika Hamano: Chelsea's Rising Star in the Barclays Women’s Super League

Maika Hamano walks into this Barclays Women’s Super League season looking less like a prospect and more like a problem for opposition defences.

Still priced at just £5.0m in Fantasy terms and listed as a midfielder, the 22-year-old Chelsea player feels wildly under-valued for someone whose career has accelerated at this pace.

Last year, Hamano’s Chelsea story barely got going before it was interrupted. She featured in only four league matches for the Blues, but made an instant impression: her first and only BWSL goal of the campaign arrived on the opening day in a 2-1 win over eventual champions Manchester City. Then came January, and with it a loan across London to Tottenham Hotspur.

That spell at Spurs mattered. Ten league appearances, regular minutes, and the kind of exposure that turns raw talent into a reliable option. She came back to Chelsea not as a kid on the fringes, but as a player with genuine WSL mileage.

Her international rise has been even more dramatic. Earlier this year, Hamano delivered the decisive moment on one of Asia’s biggest stages, scoring a stunning winner in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup final to help Nadeshiko Japan reclaim the continental crown against Australia, and on Australian soil. For a player still at the start of her senior journey, it was a defining strike.

This is not a one-off surge either. She already owns the Golden Ball from the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in 2022, proof that her dominance at youth level was recognised on the world stage. The trajectory has been clear for a while; the senior game is simply catching up.

Back at Chelsea, the signs of a breakout are hard to ignore. In pre-season she wasted no time reminding everyone what she can do, scoring in a 7-0 win over Auckland FC. It was only a friendly, but it carried a message: give her trust and minutes, and she will respond.

That trust may be needed more than ever. Chelsea have lost key stalwarts over the summer, and the squad is evolving. Hamano’s versatility – the ability to operate across multiple positions in midfield and attack – suddenly looks like a crucial asset rather than a luxury. She offers energy, movement, and a knack for big moments that managers build game plans around.

From a Fantasy perspective, the equation is simple but tempting. Hamano collected 42 points last season despite limited involvement. With an expanded 2026/27 campaign on the horizon and a realistic chance of heavier minutes, surpassing that tally feels well within reach.

Chelsea open their season at Stamford Bridge against Aston Villa on Saturday, September 5. If Hamano starts fast again, just as she did against Manchester City last year, that £5.0m price tag won’t look like a bargain for long.