Bronze: I'm here to bring the Champions League to Chelsea

Lucy Bronze feels as though “fate” brought her to Chelsea and she’s been brought in to help end the club’s long wait for Champions League success.

Speaking to Sky Sports for the first time since joining from Barcelona, the right-back admits her future was wrapped up just minutes after winning her fifth Champions League back in June.

“I was ready for a new challenge,” Bronze reminisced at her new home of Chelsea’s training ground in Cobham.

“I hadn’t really thought too much about my future. No matter who I play for I’m 100 per cent focused on it to the end.

“It was at the Champions League final I spoke to Cammy [Camille Abily, Chelsea assistant coach] and Sonia [Bompastor, Chelsea head coach], people I’m friends with. I’d heard the rumours and said, ‘oh, I hear you want to live in London’. I said you’ll love it in England and Chelsea’s such a great team – and they were like: ‘Why don’t you come?’

“I said they didn’t need me, but they said they’d love to have me come in. ‘It would help us; you’ve just won the Champions League and we want to bring that to the club.’

“A couple of days later, I was like: ‘Let’s go. Get me the plane ticket, get me the shirt, I’m sold.’ It was fate.

“Bringing the Champions League back to this country would be a huge success and would make women’s football even better.”

Bronze and new Chelsea head coach Bompastor are friends from their time together at Lyon, something the former FIFA Best Player of the Year insists has helped integrate her into her new club.

But when it comes to what Chelsea fans can expect from their new manager, Bronze says Bompastor won’t be shy about wanting success.

“The team’s good enough and adding Sonia and Cammy’s experience as both coaches and players that have won it is a huge thing.

“They aren’t afraid to talk about it and make the demands it takes to get to a final so hopefully this is the year we break that brick wall down.

“She [Bompastor] has very high standards, she’s very demanding. I’m laughing but my Lyon team-mates used to play with her and nothing was ever good enough.

“Everything needed to be better, which is why she was one of the best players to ever play for France. She’s still got a little something now, but it’s her standards that will hopefully get this team to the highest level.”

Bronze had a lot of interest from clubs in the United States as well as Europe, but her decision to sign for Chelsea was an easy one.

It was a move she even kept secret from England head coach Sarina Wiegman, especially when preparing for European Championship qualifiers in June.

“We had a few conversations but when I had to leave England camp early for my medical Sarina asked where I was going and I told her, ‘you’ll find out like everyone one else’.

“We laughed, but I think she’s happy I’m playing in England. The more England players are playing together the better.”

Bronze admits she was partly motivated by doing what’s right to cement her place in the England team heading into next summer’s Euros and beyond.

England’s form since the 2023 World Cup final has been patchy, but the 32-year old thinks the Lionesses showed in qualifying that they’ve started to turn the corner.

“It was the ‘Group of Death’ and we made it out. Sweden are probably thinking, ‘God, we’ve got to make it through the play-offs now, it’s the last thing we wanted’.

“We have players that play for Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, Bayern Munich – you have to win. That’s not changed. It’s been a fresh summer and hopefully people are in a good place.

“There were a lot of tired legs, tired minds after last summer but, hopefully, we’re in a better place individually and as a team now.”

England’s failure in the Nations League last year meant Team GB didn’t qualify for the Olympics, something the ultra-competitive Bronze admits stung at the time.

But Bronze has privately been using her voice to advocate for better conditions and more understanding of the relentless nature the calendar puts on players as the game grows. It’s a battle that’s far from won.

“Not qualifying for Paris was a blessing in disguise. I would have given anything to have been at the Olympics and to try to win a gold medal but I think my mind and body were saying no. There are plenty of players who were at the Olympics who are still feeling it now.

“We can’t keep going like this. The level and intensity of the women’s game has gone up. There are more games and the games taking place are tougher than before.

“Qualifying for a tournament is insane. We had to beat Sweden and France, we never had to do that before. It’s crazy.”