One of the best full-backs of the modern era, Bronze has enjoyed much success with her national team. A bronze World Cup medal in 2015, a European Championships triumph in 2022, and a World Cup final in 2023. She has played a part in it all.

That has also been the case for many of our other English Blues, who will now call Bronze a teammate for club and country.

And there is no better player to start with when talking about Bronze and her fellow Lionesses than one of her oldest England teammates. Our captain, Millie Bright.

So close are the defensive duo, Bright brought her acting skills to the table for the video that announced Bronze’s arrival at Chelsea. But away from the camera, the pair have featured for the Lionesses time and time again since the former’s debut in 2016, with the latter having made her first England appearance three years prior.

‘Where to start with Millie,’ explains Bronze. 'She is the player that I've played with the longest who’s here at Chelsea. I think the thing that Millie and I best get on with is when we're in games. We know each other’s games inside out.

That mutual understanding is something Blues fans can look forward to seeing first-hand during the upcoming season. And Bronze is an admirer of a quality Chelsea supporters already know Bright possesses: leadership.

‘Millie’s a leader, defensively solid and a natural footballer,’ adds our new signing. ‘She’s a player that with her physicality, I always know she is going to be strong next to me. I trust her 100% and I think recently our partnership has gone to the next level.

‘We’re both leaders in the teams we’ve been in – and not only do we want to win but we want to push other players and help them realise their potential. We’re often thinking the same thing about pushing everyone and making sure our standards are high.’

Elsewhere in the Chelsea backline, Bronze will find two more familiar faces: Niamh Charles and Jess Carter.

They are players Bronze believes have continued to show their worth for club and country and have pushed to develop their respective games.

‘Niamh is someone who I absolutely love,’ says Bronze. ‘I think as a person and as a player, she's just so honest. She gives everything she has.

‘Watching her grow in the past few years with England has really been great. There's not one person you could be happier for because she's just everything she's got she deserves.

‘That’s because she's put the work in. She listens. She's so respectful. She's put in a performance with England and just keeps getting better and better.

‘I watched her over the last season at Chelsea. I think she was arguably one of the best players in the team consistently throughout the season.

‘Jess has really come into her own with England over the few years. And like Niamh she works incredibly hard. I think she has really come on as a defender and it would be nice to recreate our defence for England at Chelsea.

‘Both Niamh and Jess, I think were really important to the success this team had last season, whenever I watched Chelsea they were playing at a high level.’

Moving further up the pitch, we find Lauren James, who Bronze has formed a special bond with after our forward made her Lionesses debut back in September 2022.

With one being a player in the early stages of her career and the other having experienced almost all there is over the years, they are a duo who like to have each other’s backs on and off the pitch.

‘Everyone knows LJ’s talent as a footballer, of course,’ says Bronze. ‘She is someone I’ve got on really well with for England since she has come into the team.

‘I’ve always tried to look out for her when we’re playing for England. We’re always texting and talking about things and about the game.

‘She’s a very, very talented player and playing in front of me on the right wing when she has – you can see her level of ability is incredible. Often she’ll just go past people like they’re not even there.

‘She was the first player to text me on joining the club. She’s got unbelievable ability, it’s hard to know what there is left to say about what she can do with the ball.’

Like LJ, Bronze has only good things to say about two of the newest Blues to represent England.

Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton also made her debut in 2022 and has gone on to win eight caps, six of which have come during her time at Chelsea. And Bronze believes the 23-year-old has what it takes to go on and be one the best in her position.

‘She has the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world,’ said Bronze. ‘I’ve said that from the minute I played with her for England.

‘She has attributes you don’t see in many goalkeepers and a real confidence in what she does. You almost forget she is still so young.

‘I’ve always got on really well with her for England. We’d sometimes speak Spanish to each other in training or around the hotel for a laugh. She’s obviously fluent and I just wanted to practice a lot.

‘I’ve played quite a few games with her and know just what she brings to a team. I also know if I run up the pitch down the wing, she’s going to be able to ping a long pass and find me.

‘She’s another one whose progression I’m really excited to see develop over the next few years.’

Last but by certainly not least, we come to Aggie Beever-Jones, who became our latest Lioness when she made her senior debut last week. New she might be, but Bronze has witnessed first-hand how well our striker has settled into life with England.

It was Bronze who presented Beever-Jones with her legacy cap, number 231, after her maiden appearance.

‘Aggie is someone I’ve only really started playing with in the past year,' says Bronze. 'But the other day she asked me, “Do you think I’m shy?”

‘I said, “Aggie, you came and spoke to me the first day you came to England senior squad”. She’s spoken more in three months than I did for my first three years playing for England!

‘But she is so friendly and easy to get along with. I think mixing that with her confidence is really powerful for her. Even in the England camps I’ve had with her you can see she is always working so hard. She is very, very talented.

‘She can go to the next level and be an England regular, I've no doubt about it. And she is a really good person to be around, a really nice girl and great to get along with.’