Bristol City Women have confirmed the permanent signing of England international Katie Robinson from Aston VillaNew Bristol City Women’s signing Katie Robinson in action for England Under-23s(Image: Photo by George Wood – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Katie Robinson admits that “it is lovely to be back” at Bristol City after the Robins confirmed the England international as their first arrival of the winter transfer window.

The Robins announced on Thursday evening that the 23-year-old, who has been capped five times by the Lionesses and was the youngest member of Sarina Weigman’s squad at the 2023 World Cup, has joined the ranks at Ashton Gate, putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Having grown up in Cornwall, Robinson came through the ranks at the City academy before she made her senior debut in 2018. After two seasons with the Reds, the winger opted not to extend her contract in south Bristol at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.

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A move to Brighton followed, and Robinson signed her first professional contract on the south coast before enjoying a loan spell at Charlton Athletic as part of her recovery from an ACL injury. After four years with the Seagulls, the winger joined Aston Villa upon the expiry of her deal in June 2024.

The 23-year-old spent the first half of this season on loan in the WSL 1 with Everton. In total, Robinson made 12 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions before being recalled earlier this month. Now, she has left Villa Park permanently to return to Ashton Gate.

On the move, Robinson told City’s media team: “It’s nice to be back, it’s the club that I started my career at, so it’s lovely to be back here again.

“I’ve had some good discussions with Charlotte and Mercury13. Our visions align, and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be a part of it.”

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The England international is the Robins’ first addition of the winter transfer window and the first signing made under the ownership of new majority shareholders Mercury13.

It was announced in September that the multi-club ownership group had acquired a controlling stake in City Women, and the takeover was officially ratified by the league shortly before the Reds’ winter break, which began in December.

At the time of writing, Charlotte Healy’s side find themselves third in the WSL 2 table after 11 games, three points adrift of Birmingham City and the automatic promotion places.

The Robins have made no secret of their desire to win promotion back to the top tier of the women’s game this season. Their hope is that the addition of Robinson, who helped the Lionesses win both the Arnold Clark Cup and the inaugural Women’s Finalissima, will only benefit their promotion bid.

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On her latest signing, head coach Healy added, “Katie is a fantastic player. She’s young, she’s quick, and she’s so exciting to watch. I know the fans will be delighted to have her back at Bristol City.

“Over the past couple of seasons, Katie has gained some fantastic experiences both domestically and internationally, playing in the WSL and being part of the England senior World Cup squad. She’s grown as a player and knows what it takes to play at that level.

“Her experience will be really important to our team for the second half of the season, so I’m delighted that she chose to join us and be a part of what we’re building here at Bristol City.”

Healy’s side return to action this weekend when they travel to the Midlands to take on Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon. Carly Davies’ side are currently sixth in the table, but could move level on points with City with a win this weekend.

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