# Nelly Las
**Nelly Las** (born 2007) is an English footballer who plays as a full-back or wing-back for [Women's Super League](https://www.edgepedia.org/womens-super-league) club Chelsea and has represented England at youth level from Under-17 to Under-20.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 2007, England; height 1.68 m[1](https://www.wslfootball.com/players/nelly-las) |
| Position | Defender; an attacking full-back who can play on both sides and as a wing-back[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) |
| Current club | Chelsea, signed permanently from Leicester City on 24 July 2026 for an undisclosed fee, with Chelsea triggering her release clause[3](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/nelly-las-completes-chelsea-transfer-wsl) |
| Contract | Four-year contract at Chelsea, running to 2030[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) • [4](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las) |
| Youth career | Joined the Leicester City Academy in 2016; senior debut for Leicester in 2024[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) |
| England youth | U-17 European Championship Team of the Tournament (2024, England runners-up); U-17 World Cup semi-finalist in late 2024; later U-19 and U-20 international[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) • [5](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1685503/nelly-las) |
| 2025/26 season | Loan to WSL 2 side Ipswich Town from 3 February 2026 for the remainder of the season[6](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl2/nelly-las-joins-ipswich-on-loan) |
## Early life and youth career
Las grew up in [Leicester](https://www.edgepedia.org/leicester) and began playing competitively at about five years old with Beaumont Park, a boys' team whose coach, Steve Brown, supported her as one of the only girls in the league. She has a twin brother and an older brother, and credits playing boys' football until she was 13 or 14 for her physical and mental development.[4](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las) • [7](https://girlsontheball.substack.com/p/memories-that-will-live-forever-exclusive)
She first joined the Leicester City academy at nine but stayed only one season, returning at about Under-14 level and remaining there. She has said her mother, who took her across the country to games, has been the biggest influence on her career.[4](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las) She is also Slovakian and speaks Slovak fluently.[4](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las)
## Leicester City
Las made her senior debut for Leicester in 2024, in the Foxes' League Cup draw with Bristol City a week before leaving for the U-17 World Cup; she learned she was starting only a few hours before kick-off.[7](https://girlsontheball.substack.com/p/memories-that-will-live-forever-exclusive) At the 2024 U-17 European Championship she was named in the Team of the [Tournament](https://www.edgepedia.org/tournament) as England finished runners-up, and she then featured for the Young Lionesses at the U-17 World Cup in the [Dominican Republic](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominican-republic), playing every game up to the semi-finals.[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) • [7](https://girlsontheball.substack.com/p/memories-that-will-live-forever-exclusive)
She signed her first professional contract in 2025 and featured 14 times for Leicester in the WSL over two seasons.[2](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea) Leicester's own announcement of her departure counts 23 appearances in all competitions since her October 2024 debut.[3](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/nelly-las-completes-chelsea-transfer-wsl)
## Loan to Ipswich Town
On 3 February 2026 Las joined WSL 2 side Ipswich Town, then bottom of the division, on loan for the rest of the 2025/26 season. She described herself at the time as "an aggressive full-back who likes to go forward and make things happen."[6](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl2/nelly-las-joins-ipswich-on-loan) • [8](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c7v0plvj7vqo) She took part in two WSL 2 games, starting one, and her last competitive appearance of the spell came on April 26, playing 27 minutes in a 3-0 win over Birmingham City.[1](https://www.wslfootball.com/players/nelly-las)
## Chelsea
Chelsea signed Las on a permanent transfer on 24 July 2026, for an undisclosed fee with the release clause triggered, on a four-year contract running to 2030.[3](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/nelly-las-completes-chelsea-transfer-wsl) • [4](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las) She joined Sonia Bompastor's squad ahead of the 2026/27 campaign and said a main goal was learning from the players around her, naming fellow full-backs [Lucy Bronze](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucy-bronze) and [Ellie Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/ellie-carpenter), who each have more than 100 international caps, as players she could learn from daily; she idolised Bronze growing up.[9](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/nelly-las-excited-to-learn-from-the-best-at-chelsea)
## Playing style
Scouting coverage describes Las as quick and positive on the ball, with strong one-on-one play in both attack and defense, and notes her versatility: she has been used predominantly as a right-back for England but played much of her Leicester football further forward. Coach Miquel, quoted by Goal.com, has suggested wing-back is the role that best suits her athleticism.[10](https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/nelly-las-chelsea-teenage-summer-signing-lionesses-lucy-bronze/blt5258abaaa70c90e8) Areas for development identified in the same coverage include physical strength and out-of-possession positioning.[10](https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/nelly-las-chelsea-teenage-summer-signing-lionesses-lucy-bronze/blt5258abaaa70c90e8)
## References
1. [Nelly Las player page, WSL Football](https://www.wslfootball.com/players/nelly-las)
2. [Nelly Las signs for Chelsea, WSL Football](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl/nelly-las-signs-for-chelsea)
3. [Nelly Las Completes Chelsea Transfer, LCFC Women](https://www.lcfc.com/media-article/nelly-las-completes-chelsea-transfer-wsl)
4. [Inside the life of Nelly Las, Chelsea FC](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/get-to-know-nelly-las)
5. [Nelly Las profile, FotMob](https://www.fotmob.com/players/1685503/nelly-las)
6. [Nelly Las joins Ipswich on loan, WSL Football](https://www.wslfootball.com/news/wsl2/nelly-las-joins-ipswich-on-loan)
7. ["Memories that will live forever", GirlsontheBall](https://girlsontheball.substack.com/p/memories-that-will-live-forever-exclusive)
8. [Ipswich take Leicester academy graduate Las on loan, BBC Sport](https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c7v0plvj7vqo)
9. [Nelly Las excited to learn from the best at Chelsea, Chelsea FC](https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/article/nelly-las-excited-to-learn-from-the-best-at-chelsea)
10. [Nelly Las: Chelsea's teenage summer signing, Goal.com](https://www.goal.com/en-us/lists/nelly-las-chelsea-teenage-summer-signing-lionesses-lucy-bronze/blt5258abaaa70c90e8)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Association football › Football people and teams › People › Women's footballers › Surnames A to L › Surnames Gi to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license