Chelsea Ladies has signed England U23 international Millie Bright.
The 21-year-old was shortlisted for the FA Women’s Super League 2 player of the year award last season, having excelled for Doncaster Rovers Belles in central midfield as they narrowly missed out on promotion.
Having joined Doncaster from the Sheffield United Centre of Excellence in 2009, Bright has progressed through the England junior ranks to U23 level and was also invited to train with the senior squad earlier this year.
Bright said: "It is great to be signing for this club and I am ready for the step up. I wanted to be back in FA WSL 1 and to be here with so many great role models and players is fantastic.
"The standard was good in FA WSL 2 last season but I felt I needed the step up to move my career forward and I am excited to get going now.
"It is an honour to be here and I am just looking forward to the start of training and working with top players on a daily basis."
Bright started her career as a striker but has also been deployed as a centre-back for England’s U23 side.
Chelsea Ladies assistant manager Paul Green signed Bright during his time at Doncaster and is delighted to be reunited with the player.
"Millie is a player that I’ve had the pleasure of working with before and I’m delighted that she has decided to join the club,’ he said.
"Millie is a great character and a young player who is hungry to develop and improve her game. She has a lot of experience for a 21-year-old and has already played a lot of games in the FA WSL and knows what the league is all about.
"She will add strength and physicality to the squad and I’m sure that she will prove to be a good addition to this talented group of players as we look to build on last season’s achievements."
Bright is manager Emma Hayes’ second signing of the close season, having added England winger Gemma Davison to the squad last month.
Meanwhile, defender Emma Wilhelmsson has left the club having signed for the Blues earlier this year having impressed on trial during the International Women’s Club Championship in Japan.
She played an important role as Chelsea finished second in FA WSL 1 and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
