Former Chelsea player Karen Carney expects the club’s women’s team to be protected under new ownership.

UK Government sanctions against Roman Abramovich have accelerated the Russian-Israeli billionaire’s Chelsea sale.

The men’s team have been crowned European and world champions during Abramovich’s 19-year Stamford Bridge tenure, while the club have also become a dominant force in the women’s game in England.

Under the management of Emma Hayes, Chelsea have won four Women’s Super League titles, three FA Cups and two League Cups and are chasing more silverware this season.

“The whole club is going day by day and I don’t think anybody knows what’s happening,” said the 144-times capped former England international Carney, who spent four years at Chelsea before retiring in 2019 and becoming a television pundit.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that I’m sure even the players and staff don’t know about.

“But what I do know is that the women’s team have always been a part of Chelsea, not apart from it. They’ve always embedded them into their club and absolutely rightly so.

“Chelsea have been the leaders in that and everyone else has joined in terms of women’s football.

“I think if new owners come in they’d be high priority as well to keep investing. You’re not going to come in and let it fall apart.”

Hayes, like men’s team managerial counterpart Thomas Tuchel, has been praised for the way she has handled the crisis that has engulfed Chelsea since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the UK Government’s sanctioning of Abramovich.

Chelsea are second in the WSL, five points behind leaders Arsenal with two games in hand, and host Birmingham in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Women’s FA Cup on Sunday.

“Emma is a leader and she and Thomas Tuchel have been outstanding in how they’ve conducted themselves,” said Carney, who was speaking in Barry to promote a National Lottery campaign to thank its players for the more than £12.5million of funding that has helped community clubs survive during the coronavirus pandemic.

“They’ve gone about their business in a professional manner and you have to give them credit for that.

“Credit to Chelsea, they’ve always included the women’s team as part of the club. When I was a player there I always felt that.

“Whatever owner comes in or whatever happens, I think they will have the same attitude and they will do that.”

:: Karen Carney was speaking at a National Lottery Football Weekends event. The campaign will make over 100,000 tickets available on a ‘Buy One Get One Free’ basis for National Lottery players for selected matches as a ‘thank you’ for over £12.5 million of funding they helped provide to community football clubs during the Covid pandemic. To find out more visit www.thenationallotteryfootballweekends.co.uk.