Sam Kerr quit ‘hostile’ social media while fans and pundits criticised performances since high-profile Chelsea transfer

SAM KERR confessed she quit “hostile” social media amid claims she has been firing blanks since joining Chelsea.

The strike sensation, 27, paved the way for high-profile superstars ditching life in the sunny leagues overseas for England’s gruelling top-flight, when she joined the Blues in November.

She still boasts the all-time goal-scoring record in America’s NWSL (77) and Australia’s W-League (70) despite not playing in either division for almost a year.

Kerr’s arrival at Kingsmeadow sparked a fan frenzy and huge expectation that the Aussie would drench the Blues with goals.

But by August, Kerr was in the firing line when critics blasted her for failing to convert chances.

CHELSEA NEWS LIVE: Click here for the latest Blues news

Former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis described the striker’s performance in the Community Shield as “painfully bad”.

But Kerr told SunSport: “Whenever I miss a chance, whether it’s a big chance or a little chance, I’m not going to sit here and cry about it.

“I go back on the training field and get better for it.

“The most pressure I feel is from myself, outside noise to me is just outside noise.

“Social media can be quite hostile so I’ve actually been off it in the last few months, other than Instagram.”

The Perth-born ace’s two-year deal in West London is said to be worth nearly £1million - making her one of the highest earners in the women’s game.  

Her arrival in England was a huge coup for the WSL at the time, before the likes of Alex Morgan and Pernille Harder made the switch.

She had broken records in the United States and Australia, made her international debut at just 15 and already captained her country at a World Cup.

But off the pitch Kerr is just a regular girl who loves trips to her local coffee shop and riding her bike.

So it's no surprise that amid all the craziness surrounding her switch to Chelsea she just wanted to fade into the team without the fanfare.

The Aussie added: “Don't get me wrong, it was a really amazing thing to be a part of.

“I don't think there had been that much buzz around a signing before so I felt really proud that we had generated that much kind of interest.

“But at the same time, I just wanted to kind of slip into the team and come in as my own person rather than this big superstar the media had made me out to be - which I'm really not.

“Pernille and also Niamh Charles coming in from Liverpool, it has been cool to support them because I went through it six months ago.

“There’s no doubt when I first got here it was difficult, a new apartment, just getting settled into a new place.

“I'd be lying if I said it was all smooth sailing, it's been tough and there's definitely cultural changes.

“But that's part of it and that's why I came here, I came here to challenge myself.

“And since we had a bit of a break I feel like now this is my home.”

Kerr has been in scintillating form this term, already silencing the critics with two league goals in just three games while Chelsea continue their unbeaten run in the WSL.  

The striker hails the club's billionaire owner Roman Abramovich for plowing investment into shiny training facilities for the women alongside the men at the shared hub in Cobham.

She added: “You can feel that just being in and around the club, what we have and what we're provided with here is like no other.

“I also think you know the club and the girls have really earned it so I definitely feel that we have the support from above.

"But at the same time I think the girls definitely deserved that.”

Chelsea host Manchester City on Sunday after the teams played out a crazy 3-3 draw in their most recent league clash.

City boss Gareth Taylor said: “It was a great spectacle. A lot of goals and  excitement. Who knows what could happen this time?”