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Ameé Ruszkai

Brooke Aspin: The Lionesses prospect who survived a life-threatening illness on her way to a dream Chelsea move and Women's Super League football

The ambitious teenager has dreams of skippering both club and country after rising to prominence with some big performances for Bristol City

To sign for Chelsea at 18 years old would mean a lot to most young footballers, but when Brooke Aspin put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Blues last July, it would have meant even more. After all, the opportunity came less than 12 months after she had found herself in intensive care, battling for her life.

In the summer of 2022, Aspin was struggling with a groin injury which soon turned into an inability to walk. Her mother took her to the hospital, where multiple tests and scans diagnosed her with a bone infection, a blood clot and sepsis, a life-threatening illness which kills 42 percent of those who are admitted to intensive care with it.

Aspin spent over three weeks in hospital, a week of that in intensive care, and would eventually have surgery on her groin injury once her body had strengthened after the sepsis. She was out for six months, finally making her comeback for Bristol City in March of last year as she set about helping the Robins get over the line in their successful bid for the Women’s Championship title and promotion to the Women’s Super League.

Less than four months later, Chelsea came along to snap up one of England’s most exciting young prospects in a deal that would send her back to Bristol on loan for the 2023-24 season. It was quite a way to cap off an incredibly difficult year in Aspin’s young life, one that she admits has made her more grateful and appreciative in turn.

But while she is eager to raise awareness about sepsis, an illness she knew little about before it struck her down, Aspin is also keen not to dwell on that tough period and to instead look forward. That’s because, on the football pitch, she has big ambitions, and she has the talent to realise them, too.

  • Where it all began

    Born in the town of Tiverton in Devon, Aspin started playing football at the age of seven, representing local side Wellington AFC before moving onto Somerset’s girls’ team and then Taunton Saints, a boys’ team with links to Southampton.

    A regular in the England youth system from her early teenage years, Aspin joined Bristol City at 14 years old. It was with the Robins’ that she continued her steady development until she was ready to make her senior debut aged 16.

    She remained that age throughout the entirety of her debut campaign, but the composure she showed during it hardly suggested as much. Aspin played in 20 of Bristol’s 22 games in the Championship, the second-tier of English football, while racking up the fifth-highest number of minutes in the entire squad as the Robins finished third, setting a solid foundation for a promotion-winning season the following year.

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  • The big break

    As a centre-back playing in the second-tier, though, Aspin was not as widely-known a prospect until her transfer to Chelsea was announced in July of last year. Given she spent most of Bristol’s promotion season on the sidelines, that’s not a huge surprise, especially with only one game from the Championship broadcasted each week.

    However, Chelsea had clearly watched her outstanding previous season and her commanding performances with England’s youth teams and were keen to act, bringing Aspin to the club ahead of Bristol’s return to the WSL.

    “Brooke is a player that we have been tracking for the last three years,” Blues boss Emma Hayes confirmed when the signing was announced, while general manager Paul Green added: “We believe Brooke is the best young centre-back of her age in the country.”

  • Brooke Aspin Bristol City Women 2021-22Getty

    How it’s going

    Chelsea did well to act quickly because there would no doubt have been increased interest in Aspin’s services now, such has been the impressive manner in which she has adapted to life in the WSL.

    Loaned back to Bristol upon signing for Chelsea, things have been a little different for the teenager this year compared to previous seasons when the Robins have been battling at the top of the table. However, she has adjusted to the challenge of a relegation battle and put in some heroic performances at the back to help her team’s cause.

    Aspin has taken steps forward with England, too. A regular captain at youth level, the 18-year-old won her first call-up for the Under-23s squad back in November, though she did have to withdraw due to a knee injury.

  • Brooke Aspin Bristol City Women 2023-24Getty

    Biggest strengths

    One of the first things that stands out when you watch Aspin is her leadership. Despite her age, she barks out orders, communicates well with her team-mates and exudes skills that make it no surprise that she has captained her country at youth level. The way she speaks in the media shows that she is a driven footballer, too, which certainly adds to her skipper material.

    “People who know me know I don’t have small ambitions," she told Sky Sports last year. "My ambitions are to captain England to a World Cup final and win that one day. And also obviously captain Chelsea, which is another ambition of mine."

    Aspin has the talent to fulfil those dreams, too. Her awareness is strong and so is her defensive positioning, meaning her timing in a tackle is good. The teenager has the ability to be an aerial presence in both boxes, scoring both of her goals for Bristol with her head, and she is technically sound, though that hasn’t always been on show for her club this season, given the Robins so often have to play with their backs against the wall.

  • Brooke Aspin 2023Getty

    Room for improvement

    There’s also still a lot of room for Aspin to grow. Some of that comes with her youth, of course. For example, she can sometimes get dragged out of position a little too much when she commits to going with a forward as they drop deep. That decision-making of when to go and when to stay will improve with experience at the top level.

    It feels like Aspin has the potential to develop into more of a playmaker from defence, too. Picking up the ball, driving forward and playing passes into the final third isn’t something she’ll be expected to do much of while Bristol fight for survival, but it may be something she is able to develop in another environment in the future. It’d certainly add to her skillset and increase her ability to succeed at the highest level.

  • Millie Bright England Women 2023Getty

    The next... Millie Bright

    If we’re comparing Aspin with other English centre-backs, then it feels like she is more in the Millie Bright mould than the Leah Williamson one. As mentioned, Aspin is great with the ball at her feet, but her biggest strength is being in the right place at the right time to make a key defensive intervention. That’s something that one would associate more with Bright, rather than the ball-playing traits that really stand out in Williamson – though both are capable in each department.

    One can’t help but think that Bright will prove to be a great role model for Aspin when she moves to Chelsea, too. The Blues’ skipper is one of the best in her position in the world and has some huge experiences which she can share, including the honour of captaining England to a Women’s World Cup final. With Aspin already a great leader at a young age, it’s exciting to think how much more she could grow in that sense when sharing an environment with Bright and many more of the big figures at Chelsea.

  • Brooke Aspin Chelsea Women 2023Getty

    What comes next?

    Aspin will no doubt be keen for her time at Bristol to conclude with her helping the Robins survive the drop in their first season back in the WSL. They finished 2023 bottom of the table but only on goal difference, with them certainly possessing a real fighting chance of avoiding relegation.

    It’ll be interesting to see what happens from there. Breaking into Chelsea’s defence at this stage in her career will be an almighty task, even given her talent, so another loan spell may beckon for Aspin next season, perhaps at a club a little further up the ladder where she can continue to take steps forward.

    As mentioned, she continues to make good progress through the England teams, too, and with the senior Lionesses always keeping tabs on the U23s, that pathway through to the top is very walkable, especially with Aspin’s ability. The centre-back areas may be well-stocked for club and country, but this teenager has the talent and the drive to make herself a fixture in the heart of defence for both in due course.

    To be where she is now despite all she has been through in the past 18 months is a real credit to Aspin’s character. With challenging new environments and opportunities unfolding in front of her as she looks forward, it’s incredibly exciting to think about the further progress she can make as she looks to establish herself as a Chelsea and England star.