Chelsea Women have announced the signing of England right-back Lucy Bronze following the expiry of her Barcelona contract.
Bronze departed the Spanish side in June having helped them win a second consecutive Champions League title and has now signed a two-year contract with the Women’s Super League reigning champions.
“To know I’m a Chelsea player still feels a little bit surreal,” said Bronze, who has been capped 125 times by England.
“It’s obviously a club I know so much about and have done for such a long time. I’m really excited to be back in England.
“My family are so excited as well to get to more of my games. I’m excited to be in London, to see what the capital holds and to be at a club that is renowned for winning so many trophies.”
Bronze’s Barcelona beat Chelsea in April’s Champions League semi final
Bronze becomes Chelsea’s fourth signing of the summer transfer window – after bringing in French duo Sandy Baltimore and Oriane Jean-Francois from PSG, as well as Barcelona midfielder Julia Bartel.
Chelsea are preparing for their first season under new coach Sonia Bompastor, who arrived from Lyon to replace Emma Hayes, who in turn took over the United States team after 12 years with the Blues.
Bronze the perfect signing to kickstart Bompastor era
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As Lucy Bronze joins Chelsea, take a look at some of her best goals from her previous spells in the Women’s Super League.
Analysis by Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter:
“Lift off. I bet Sonia Bompastor could scarcely believe her luck when the prospect of this signing landed in her lap. The name Lucy Bronze packs the perfect punch.
“She remains one of the most accomplished defenders, nay players, in the women’s game, even at 32.
“And so Bronze gets to challenge the great Clarence Seedorf – the only men’s player to win European honours with three different clubs – as the first female player to repeat that same feat.
“Chelsea’s domestic dominance is well established, but the Champions League is the one competition that managed to elude Emma Hayes during her reign.
“Quite contrastingly, Champions League titles seem to follow Bronze across the continent. Three at Lyon were followed up by two at Barcelona. Let’s see if, at Chelsea, she can complete the coveted hat-trick.”
When does the 2024/25 WSL season start?
The 2024/25 Women’s Super League season will start on the weekend of September 21 and 22.
The key dates for the top two divisions of women’s football next term have been confirmed, with the Barclays Women’s Championship starting a fortnight earlier on the weekend of September 7 and 8.
The winter break will take place between December 16 and January 18, with the WSL season ending on the weekend of May 10 and May 11, 2025.
The start of the new WSL season comes 42 days after the women’s gold medal final of the Olympic Games campaign.
Team GB failed to qualify for the Paris tournament after England’s unsuccessful Nations League campaign, although the United States, Brazil and France are among the teams to have qualified.
Meanwhile, the 2024/25 Women’s League Cup dates have also been confirmed, with the group stage running from early October until mid-December. The final will be played on the weekend of March 15 and 16, 2025.
When does the summer transfer window open and close?
The 2024 summer transfer window in the Premier League officially opens on Friday June 14 – the same day that Euro 2024 starts.
The window will close on August 30 at 11pm UK time.
The Premier League has brought forward Deadline Day to link up with the other major leagues in Europe. The closing dates were set following discussions with the leagues in England, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.