The Ireland star is loving life in West London.

Republic of Ireland captain Katie McCabe has branded her move to Chelsea as a 'breath of fresh air.'

McCabe made the switch from city rivals Arsenal in the summer after her contract with the Gunners expired following a trophy-laden 11-year stint in North London.

The Irishwoman's move proved to be controversial after Arsenal initially made it clear that her contract wouldn't be renewed, only for a deal to be offered at the last minute.

By that time, McCabe had already set the wheels in motion with regards to a move to Chelsea, and has joined up with Sonia Bompastor's squad as they look to regain the WSL title come the end of the season.

McCabe has already come face-to-face with her old club, and was given plenty of stick by Gunners fans as Chelsea bested Arsenal at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season.

Speaking after Ireland's 12-0 aggregate win over Kazakhstan, a win that leaves them a two-legged tie with Poland away from next year's World Cup, McCabe reflected on her short stint in blue.

"The move for me has been a breath of fresh air, it was time for me to start a new chapter. Ever since I’ve come in to work with Chelsea and Sonia (Bompastor) and the girls, it’s been brilliant. We’ve had a fantastic start to the season," said McCabe.

"The role is a little bit different, but I’m loving learning all the new things from a new coach. I’m playing with world-class players, and I’m really enjoying it.

"I’m enjoying my football again and just taking it game by game. There are so many games, but for me personally, what’s most important now is to be in the best position to qualify for a World Cup."

McCabe will be fully focused on getting Ireland back to the World Cup next year. Carla Ward's Ireland have already twice beaten Poland this year in qualifying, but McCabe is taking nothing for granted.

"We've put ourselves in a really good position,' continued McCabe. 'The opponents we've faced, top ten opponents, the girls have done brilliantly. Since Carla came in, it's been a transition period, and it’s taken a bit of time to find our feet.

"We learnt our lesson with that heavy defeat by Slovenia, and we've built and grown. We've tried to gather as much momentum as possible. We've had some highs and lows over the years. It's going to be really important, and we'll stick together going into November.

"We'll be doing everything we can to get over the line and get this country to the World Cup again. For us, we've played them recently, and it's going to be different come November. We know there's a World Cup place at stake, so we need to be ready. It's an exciting one."