COBHAM, England — Despite the sweltering heat at Chelsea‘s training ground on the U.K.’s hottest day of the year so far, new signing Lucy Bronze is not fazed. Having spent the past two seasons basking in the Spanish sunshine in Barcelona, the England defender used to the heat. But being back in the Women’s Super League (WSL) for the first time since she left Manchester City in 2022 means something else is on her mind.
“It’s the cold that worries me,” she tells ESPN. “It’s been a good first week; the temperature has been nice.”
It is the first time that the 32-year-old has spoken to non-club media since making a free transfer to the WSL champions in the wake of Emma Hayes’ exit this summer, but you wouldn’t guess it. Bronze’s easy-going demeanour would make anyone think she had been around the team for months, not just a week. But that describes her character.
“Although I’m new, and a bit of an older player, a lot more experienced, I want to learn the new things and the way that we work here,” she says. “But then there’s a new manager [Sonia Bompastor] as well, so there are different things going on, which nobody’s 100% sure of.”
Some players describe a move to a new club as like the first day of high school: a sense of familiarity but a brand-new challenge. For Bronze, surrounded by plenty of her England international teammates, there are no nerves; this is the least nervous she has been at any of her seven clubs in her 17-year career to date.
“I think your first impression matters a lot,” she says. “So you’re making sure you’re on time for everything; you’ve got everything you’re supposed to have. This is probably the least nervous I’ve been in moving to a new club and a new place. Having signed for a team in France [Lyon] and Spain [Barcelona], not knowing the language and not knowing who even speaks the same language as you is definitely more nerve-wracking. So having experiences like that makes this one a lot calmer and a little bit easier.”
Having won everything domestically in England during her previous spells with Liverpool, Everton, Sunderland and City, she has collected on-pitch accolades like they are Pokémon cards during her career to date — five Champions League titles, three English and French titles, two Spanish, 10 assorted domestic cups, and five trophies with England, including the European Championship in 2022.
But she is also a polyglot, adept in several languages including French, Spanish and Portuguese. The former comes from her time at Lyon, where she played alongside Chelsea’s new assistant coach, Camille Abily, while Bompastor was coach of the academy setup at the same time. And that will come in handy when it comes to helping Chelsea’s new foreign signings settle in.
“I think it’s always important to be able to communicate with people in different ways,” she says. “I know how much of a difference it makes because you start a preseason, your body hurts, and then your head’s going crazy because you’ve got these languages that you try to keep up with and you want to impress the manager. So it’s nice if I can just explain a little bit in French or Spanish and help out a little bit.”
Bronze has always taken on the role of a “big sister,” someone for her teammates to look up to and rely on. It is something she enjoys and comes naturally to her. Possessing an infectious personality, she has bonded with younger members of the England squad, including new Chelsea teammates Lauren James and Aggie Beever-Jones. And despite being a new signing herself, she has taken it upon herself to ensure the other new faces feel welcomed at the club she will call home for the next two years.
“I’ve been in that position before and wondered ‘how can I make it easier?'” she says. “Because at the end of the day, if I can make someone’s life a little bit easier and help them a little bit, that’s going to make them a better player, train better, which makes me better and makes the team better. I like seeing the younger players or less-experienced players flourish.”
For those closest to Bronze, the kindness she has shown toward younger and newer players makes her stands out. “Lucy has an incredible role in our team as a leader,” England manager Sarina Weigman said of the defender, who has captained her country on numerous occasions, in October 2022. “Even when not wearing the armband, she is still a leader.”
And she was integral in helping a 22-year-old James settle into the England setup ahead of the 2023 World Cup. The pair formed a strong bond that developed into a seamless link-up on the pitch, which Chelsea will be hoping to capitalise on at club level now.
“I think she just knows that I know she is always there if I need the help or if I’ve got any questions, and I think she’s easy to go to,” James told Lionesses Down Under in August 2023. “It’s strange because we get on so well, but we’re like 10, 11 years apart.”
At the end of this week, Chelsea fly to North America to continue their preseason preparations in Bompastor’s first game in charge of the club against NWSL side NY/NJ Gotham on Aug. 19, before taking on Arsenal at Audi Field in Washington DC on Aug. 25. The U.S. is not unfamiliar territory for Bronze, who began her career at college in North Carolina, and she is impressed by how much the women’s game has grown in recent years.
“It’s really exciting because Chelsea vs. Arsenal is a game we could play 20 minutes away,” she laughs. “But that’s the exciting thing: that the game has grown all around the world. Meeting so many of the fans that we have abroad, it’s amazing that they get to see us play there and that we get to see them as well.
“Preseason tours are something that have been quite big in the men’s game for a long time. So it’s nice that we can grow that and grow our fan bases. It’s something that means a lot to us in the women’s game, making sure that we can connect with all the fans from all over the world.
“For players as well … the faster you get to know each other, both on and off the pitch, the better — and going away in preseason is the best way to do that. You learn a lot about each other. So it’s a good way to kind of fast forward that process of team bonding.”
The growth of the women’s game in England has skyrocketed since England’s victory at Euro 2022 but, playing in Spain at the time, Bronze missed out seeing the increase in profile and fans firsthand. So when the opportunity to play in the WSL again came up, she jumped at the chance.
“I really am excited to play in front of the fans,” she says. “I’ve not witnessed how women’s football has changed [in England], which is obviously something that I was a part of, so I’m excited for that.
“I love the fans in Spain and France, but it’ll be so nice to be able to see all the England fans who have supported us as the Lionesses to then put on a Chelsea shirt and come to Stanford Bridge and all the away games as well. That connection is something I’m really looking forward to.”
