Chelsea Women secure 18-year-old Brooke Aspin, breaking it all down
![MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 19: Khadija Shaw of Manchester City is challenged by Brooke Aspin of Bristol City during the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City Women and Bristol City Women at Manchester City Football Academy on January 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images) MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - JANUARY 19: Khadija Shaw of Manchester City is challenged by Brooke Aspin of Bristol City during the FA Women's Continental Tyres League Cup Quarter Final match between Manchester City Women and Bristol City Women at Manchester City Football Academy on January 19, 2022 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/76004218b2e09ffea6bc18963dafdf0208eb2aac5833800d5702ee36452fbc27.jpg)
The rule was changed by the FA last month where teams in the WSL will receive £5,000 for every year the individual spent in the club’s academy. As The Mirror’s women’s football writer, Megan Feringa explained, “because the new rules have been implemented this summer and clubs have only been recognized under the PGA system this year, the FA’s newest rules will not be backdated.”
A dream come true to be a Blue@ 💙
— Brooke Aspin (@brookeaspin5) July 7, 2023
A special moment for me to sign for @ChelseaFCW and something I have dreamed of since I was a little girl!
Thanks to my family for everything they have sacrificed, and thanks to my agent @itsandyburton for the support behind the scenes!#CFC pic.twitter.com/L46WLUq5bG
At 29, Millie Bright is going to produce at this kind of level forever. Aspin is a player that both Hayes and Paul Green have reported to be have been looking at for three years now. In 2021-2022, Aspin jumped from academy football to the Championship seamlessly, appearing in 26 matches for City across all competitions. In the process, she guided her side to seven clean sheets in the league while playing distributor twice in league play.
At 1.70 meters (five-foot seven inches), Aspin is taller than senior center back Jess Carter, and the same height at Kadeisha Buchanan. She is fearless in the air on both ends of the pitch, and has the tendency to make darting runs into the attacking third. Similar to Bright, if you don’t mark her in the penalty box, she is going to punish the opposition. In addition, Aspin has proven she is a prolific passer out of the back, often sparking the attack from the backline. The fact that she is just 18 is incomprehensible. One season in the English top-flight back at a club she knows well will rightly challenge her against quality opposition.