Bristol City announce departure of goalkeeper Whitehouse

Bristol City have announced the news that goalkeeper Sophie Whitehouse is leaving the club at the end of her contract.

The Robins confirmed the player’s departure via a post on their official club Twitter account a little earlier this morning.

Whitehouse has spent just the one season with Bristol City with the keeper joining The Robins last summer following their relegation from the Barclays Women’s Super League. The 25-year-old stopper made three Barclays Women’s Championship appearances for Lauren Smith’s side with the player largely being an understudy for Bristol City’s first-choice goalkeeper Fran Bentley.

Bentley’s season-long loan spell has come to an end and with second-choice keeper Whitehouse now also moving on, Bristol City boss Smith will be significantly boosting her side’s Goalkeeper’s Union in the summer transfer window.

Bristol City have parted company with a number of players from their 2021/2022 squad. In addition to Whitehouse’s departure, Satara Murray, Izzy Cook, Maisy Collis, Simran Jhamat and Ava Kuyken have all moved on. Head coach Smith seems set for a busy summer in the transfer market as she looks to assemble a squad which is capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge in the Barclays Women’s Championship in 2022/2023.