Mayra Ramírez’s transfer to Chelsea F.C. from Levante UD broke the mould in women’s football’s international transfer market. The Colombian striker arrived in London with the unenviable task of covering for the injured Sam Kerr, the Blues’ attacking totem. Yet far from being overwhelmed by the pressure of the Women’s Super League giant, Ramírez has brought a different and devastating tactical dimension that has transformed her team’s attacking transitions: the role of the elite target forward.
Ramírez offers a physical, ball-shielding profile that is highly prized in the English game, where contact and speed in the aerial duel set the standard of a match.
The art of pinning the opposing centre-backs
The Colombian striker’s principal tactical virtue is her capacity to act as a target with her back to the opposition goal. When receiving long balls in central positions, Mayra uses her body to engage and pin both opposing centre-backs simultaneously. This prevents the defenders from anticipating play or covering for their full-backs, distorting the shape of the opposition back line.
Once she has the ball under control while being harried, Ramírez excels at laying it off first time towards the flanks, releasing the vertical runs of Chelsea’s rapid wingers — such as Lauren James — or serving as a wall for midfielders arriving from deep.
Power in the carry and in front of goal
Beyond her back-to-goal link play, Mayra Ramírez is an extremely dangerous footballer when she turns and drives at pace. Her powerful stride and her capacity for contact allow her to beat markers in duels of brute strength through the inside channel.
Her adaptation to the tactical and physical demands of the Women’s Super League has been astonishingly swift, establishing her as one of the most decisive attackers in Europe and proving that the modern striker must master both tactical link play and a lethal touch in front of goal.
