How Chelsea youngster Lexi Potter earned her first Lionesses call-up and made England star Keira Walsh her No.1 fan

It was on a freezing night in Accrington in December of last year, after England's Under-23s played out a thriller against the United States, that a rather sheepish Potter, still new to interactions with external media, told GOAL, with a laugh: "I'm not really much of a vocal person."

It was in response to a question about whether she likes to ask the more experienced players on England youth camps, those who have played for Wiegman or regularly in the WSL, about their experiences or the game. "I think I just watch things," she said. "I think that's what I'm like at Chelsea every day. I like to just watch players like Keira Walsh and try to take things from their game."

A few months later, a visibly more confident Potter sat down to chat to reporters while on camp with England's U23s again. This time, she referenced more of the vocal guidance Walsh had offered, with the 20-year-old staying at Chelsea in the 2025-26 season after two spells on loan at Crystal Palace.

"She's a great person off the pitch," Potter said. "She really helps me out and looks after me. On the pitch, she helps me and I try to learn off her as much as I can and try and implement it into my game."

At this point, Walsh had already made her status as the head of the Lexi Potter fan club apparent, whether by picking her out as one to watch in social media videos or describing her as an "incredible player" in an interview live on Sky Sports. Asked what it was like, then, to have a world-class team-mate like Walsh who does not only act as a remarkable example for her to follow, but is also very approachable and eager to guide her, Potter couldn't hide her delight.

"She's top. Sometimes I say to my mum, 'Oh, wow, I can just go and speak to her!'" she smiled. "She's really good. She's really approachable, she's really friendly and she does really help me out. When I get to play alongside her, I really enjoy it."

It's clear that the feeling is mutual. Walsh has made a terrific start to the new season herself, providing a goal and an assist in the 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United before her saved shot led to the only goal in Chelsea's victory over Arsenal on Sunday.

After the big win over the Red Devils, Blues boss Sonia Bompastor revealed she had spoken to Walsh about shooting more. "We are really encouraging her to take that opportunity from the edge of the box," she explained. "She has a great shot." When Walsh was asked about it a few weeks later, while she did say she was practicing a bit more and being encouraged by the staff to do so, she was also eager to point to Potter's role in it all.

"I think when you play with one pivot, obviously your job is to stop transitions, so it's not normally my role to try and get in the box and score,” Walsh explained. “I know that if I'm in the box and trying to arrive and make a difference at that end, [Lexi] is going to sit and have my back at the other end. For me, it's probably mostly about that."

It's a task that has allowed Potter, who has also previously shone in a box-to-box role, to showcase her qualities in a deeper position. "I think it really suits her how she plays now," Wiegman said on Tuesday, though she does also believe that the 20-year-old's "intelligence" and "understanding" of space would allow her to thrive further forward.

"I think Sonia said in one of her interviews that the biggest compliment she has [for Potter] is her consistency," Walsh noted. "She doesn't try and set the world alight with every performance. She's just very, very good every time she plays and I think that's the most important thing in that position. When you watch other midfielders play in those positions, they're always very, very, very consistent and that is something that Lexi has brought. Hopefully that continues. I think she's been a really, really key piece for us so far."

It's unlikely that Potter will become as integral a cog with England as quickly. Georgia Stanway has locked down the role next to Walsh in the Lionesses' XI while others such as Laura Blindkilde Brown and Lucia Kendall have put in good performances, in big games, in midfield too.

But the level Potter has been producing for Chelsea in the last few weeks has been impossible to ignore and that Wiegman went into unprompted depth on Tuesday about how that unlocks more out of Walsh was interesting. "She can leave that position more and she can get higher up the pitch and we know she has a good shot," the England boss said of the 29-year-old. "We've seen that already. She comes into different positions and becomes a bit more unpredictable."

England have two huge games coming up against Greece, where victory is necessary to keep hopes of qualifying for the Women's World Cup alive. Given the stakes, perhaps experimentation will be limited. But when asked if Potter could make an immediate impact in her first senior camp, Wiegman didn't shoot the suggestion down.

"She's shown at Chelsea that she can start against any team," she noted. "I know that when you come [into camp] for the first time, it could be a little bit overwhelming. But what I've seen from her is that she comes out on the pitch and, no matter who she plays against, she's just going to play and she's comfortable. I hope to see that next week."