Will Jääskeläinen

Will Jääskeläinen
Jääskeläinen playing for Crewe Alexandra at Crawley Town
Personal information
Full name William Albert Jääskeläinen[1]
Date of birth (1998-07-25) 25 July 1998 (age 26)[2]
Place of birth Bolton, England[3]
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[4]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Woking
Number 22
Youth career
Bromley Cross Sharks
2015–2017 Bolton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 Leek Town 0 (0)
2017–2022 Crewe Alexandra 84 (0)
2017 → Loughborough Dynamo (loan) 8 (0)
2017 → Nantwich Town (loan) 5 (0)
2018 → Buxton (loan) 3 (0)
2018 → Chester (loan) 0 (0)
2018 → Nantwich Town (loan) 7 (0)
2018–2019 → Nantwich Town (loan) 16 (0)
2022–2023 AFC Wimbledon 0 (0)
2023– Woking 69 (0)
International career‡
2015 Finland U18
Finland U19
Finland U21
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:50, 19 January 2025 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 09:57, 11 September 2019 (UTC)

William Albert Jääskeläinen (born 25 July 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for National League club Woking. Born in England, he has represented Finland at youth international level.

Club career

Bolton Wanderers

Prior to joining the Bolton Wanderers academy, Jääskeläinen started out at Bromley Cross Sharks.[5] He turned professional with Bolton Wanderers at the start of the 2015–16 season.[2][6] Shortly after, Jääskeläinen was given a number fifty shirt.[7]

After being released by the club, he had a trial in August 2017 at VPS[8][9] in his father's native Finland. On 24 July he signed for Leek Town[10][11]

Crewe Alexandra

A month later, he signed for Crewe Alexandra.[12]

During the 2017–18 season, Jääskeläinen went on loan to Loughborough Dynamo,[13][14][15] Nantwich Town,[16][17] Buxton,[18] and Chester.[19]

Jääskeläinen signed a new three-year contract with Crewe in May 2018,[20] but spent much of the 2018–19 season on loan again at Nantwich Town,[21][22][23] though a loan extension to the end of the season was cut short when Crewe recalled him on 20 March 2019.[24]

He made his first team debut for Crewe Alexandra on 19 April 2019, keeping a clean sheet, in a 2–0 win over Yeovil Town at Gresty Road.[25] In June 2020, Jääskeläinen signed a new two-year deal with Crewe.[26] Following relegation to League Two, Jääskeläinen was released by the club at the end of the 2021–22 season.[27] Both the club and Jääskeläinen felt that he needed a "fresh challenge".[28]

AFC Wimbledon

He signed for AFC Wimbledon in September 2022, on a one-month contract, as cover for the injured Nathan Broome.[29] He made his debut for the club in the EFL Trophy victory over Crawley Town and then extended his contract until January 2023.[30] He was released upon the expiry of his contract on 13 January 2023.[31]

Woking

On 4 February 2023, Jääskeläinen signed for National League club Woking.[32] After 14 appearances for the Cardinals, he was offered a new contract in May 2023,[33] signing a one-year deal.[34]

International career

Jääskeläinen is eligible to play for England, his birthplace, and Finland, through his parents.[35]

Jääskeläinen made his debut in international football on 25 August 2015 at the age 17 when he was called to represent Finland under-18s in a match against Montenegro under-18s.[36]

Jääskeläinen has also represented Finland at under-19 youth level.[4] In August 2019, he was called up by Finland Under-21s for two UEFA Euro U21 qualifiers.[37] He was called up again by the under-21s in November 2019.[38]

Personal life

Jääskeläinen is the son of former Bolton Wanderers and Finland goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen,[39] the oldest of three brothers.[40] His younger brother Emil signed his first professional contract with Blackpool in 2019.[41] Jääskeläinen was educated at Bolton School Boys’ Division.[42] Growing up, Jaaskelainen and his brothers were raised bilingually, speaking Finnish at home and English with their friends.[43][40]

Career statistics

As of match played 18 January 2025.
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup EFL Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Crewe Alexandra 2018–19[44] League Two 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
2019–20[45] League Two 35 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 39 0
2020–21[46] League One 31 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 33 0
2021–22[47] League One 15 0 0 0 2 0 3[a] 0 20 0
Total 85 0 6 0 2 0 3 0 96 0
Loughborough Dynamo (loan) 2017–18[15][48][49] Northern Premier League
Division One South 		8 0 0 0 — 1[b] 0 9 0
Nantwich Town (loan) 2017–18[50][4][51][52] Northern Premier League
Premier Division 		5 0 3 0 — 2[c] 0 10 0
Buxton (loan) 2017–18[53][54][55] Northern Premier League
Premier Division 		3 0 0 0 — 0 0 3 0
Chester (loan) 2017–18[4] National League 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 0 0
Nantwich Town (loan) 2018–19[56][57][58][59] Northern Premier League
Premier Division 		23 0 1 0 — 2[d] 0 26 0
AFC Wimbledon 2022–23[60] League Two 0 0 0 0 0 0 1[a] 0 1 0
Woking 2022–23[4] National League 13 0 — — 1[e] 0 14 0
2023–24[4] National League 30 0 3 0 — 1[b] 0 34 0
2024–25[4] National League 26 0 2 0 — 3[f] 0 31 0
Total 69 0 5 0 — 5 0 79 0
Career total 191 0 15 0 2 0 14 0 222 0
  1. ^ a b Appearance(s) in EFL Trophy
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in FA Trophy
  3. ^ One appearance in FA Trophy; one appearance in Northern Premier League Challenge Cup
  4. ^ Appearances in Cheshire Senior Cup
  5. ^ Appearance in National League play-offs
  6. ^ Two appearances in FA Trophy; One Appearance in National League Cup

Honours

Crewe Alexandra

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Club list of registered players: As at 19th May 2019" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Profile". Bolton Wanderers F.C. Retrieved 22 August 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ Dunlavy, Chris (4 February 2016). "Profile: Wigan keeper and Bolton legend Jussi Jaaskelainen". The Football League Paper. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Will Jääskeläinen at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  5. ^ "Jaaskelainen Junior helps Bolton Wanderers U18s stop the rot". The Bolton News. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Three due in at Bolton Wanderers but Neil Lennon hints at one more to come". The Bolton News. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  7. ^ "Wanderers confirm squad numbers ahead of new season". The Bolton News. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  8. ^ "departures". Bolton Wanderers F.C. 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ^ William Jääskeläinen tutustumassa Vepsuun, VPSTV Youtube, 1 August 2017
  10. ^ "Jaaskelainen Jnr Joins Leek As Son Of Bolton Star Makes His Way". 24 July 2017.
  11. ^ Jones, Will H. (25 July 2017). "Transfer News: Jaaskelainen finds a new club". Lion Of Vienna Suite.
  12. ^ "Will Jaaskelainen: Crewe sign goalkeeper on one-year deal after release from Bolton". BBC Sport. 15 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Loughborough Dynamo sign new goalkeeper". Loughborough Echo. 14 September 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Dynamo sign son of Premier League legend". Loughborough Dynamo F.C. 10 September 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Jaaskelainen On Loan At Loughborough Dynamo". www.crewealex.net. 14 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Nantwich Town sign Crewe Alex keeper Will Jaaskelainen on month loan". Nantwich News. 10 October 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  17. ^ "Jaaskelainen Extends Dabbers Stay". www.crewealex.net. 13 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Buxton loan Crewe keeper Jaaskelainen". Non-League Daily. 5 January 2018. Archived from the original on 23 April 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Will Jaaskelainen: Chester sign Crewe goalkeeper on one-month loan". BBC Sport. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Will Jaaskelainen and Oliver Finney sign new Crewe Alexandra contacts". BBC Sport. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  21. ^ Nantwich sign Will Jaaskelainen on loan, thenonleaguefootballpaper.com, 16 August 2018
  22. ^ Crewe Alex keeper Will Jaaskelainen set to rejoin Nantwich Town on loan, cheshire-live.co.uk, 21 November 2018
  23. ^ "Loan: Jaaskelainen Extends Nantwich Stay". www.crewealex.net. 18 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  24. ^ "NEWS: Will Jaaskelainen returns back to Crewe Alexandra". nantwichtownfc.co.uk. 20 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
  25. ^ "Crewe Alexandra 2–0 Yeovil Town". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 April 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2019.
  26. ^ "Contract Extensions Update". Crewe Alexandra F.C. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  27. ^ "2021–22 Retained List". www.crewealex.net. 4 May 2022. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Former Wanderers youngster 'needed a fresh challenge' after Crewe release". The Bolton News. 10 May 2022.
  29. ^ "AFC Wimbledon sign goalkeeper Jaaskelainen". BBC Sport. 11 September 2022.
  30. ^ "Will extends Dons stay". AFC Wimbledon. 4 October 2022. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  31. ^ "Will leaves Wimbledon". AFC Wimbledon. 13 January 2023. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
  32. ^ "Goalkeeper Jaaskelainen Signs". www.wokingfc.co.uk. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  33. ^ "National League News: 15 May 2023". BBC Sport. 15 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  34. ^ "National League news - 21 May 2023". BBC Sport. 24 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  35. ^ "WANDERERS: Mark back on a mission". The Bolton News. 29 July 1998. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  36. ^ "Jussi Jääskeläisen poika pelaa tänään Suomen maalilla" [Jussi Jääskeläinen's son is playing for Finland today] (in Finnish). Iltasanomat. 25 August 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  37. ^ Johnson, Matt (28 August 2019). "Jaaskelainen Called Up By Finland U21s". CreweAlex.net. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  38. ^ "PIKKUHUUHKAJAT ROMANIAA VASTAAN NIMETTY" (in Finnish). Palloliitto website. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  39. ^ Marc Iles (20 May 2016). "Jussi Jaaskelainen: I was 100 per cent ready to come back to Wanderers". The Bolton News. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  40. ^ a b "Jussi Jaaskelainen plans to stay in Bolton". The Bolton News. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  41. ^ "Youngsters Sign Professional Deals". Blackpool F.C. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 26 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
  42. ^ Saiqa Chaudhari (21 August 2014). "LIVE: Bolton GCSE results day 2014". The Bolton News. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  43. ^ "Happy Wanderer Jussi here to stay". The Bolton News. 26 February 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
  44. ^ "Games played by Will Jääskeläinen in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  45. ^ "Games played by Will Jääskeläinen in 2019/2020". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  46. ^ "Games played by Will Jääskeläinen in 2020/2021". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  47. ^ "Games played by Will Jääskeläinen in 2021/2022". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  48. ^ "Jaaskelainen Completes Nantwich Town Loan Switch". www.crewealex.net. 10 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  49. ^ "England - Loughborough Dynamo FC - Results and fixtures - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
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  52. ^ "Nantwich Town FC on Twitter". Twitter. 28 November 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  53. ^ "Buxton Football Club on Twitter". Twitter. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  54. ^ "Buxton Football Club on Twitter". Twitter. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  55. ^ Ritchie, Thomas (20 January 2018). "Report: Farsley Celtic 3-0 Buxton FC". www.farsleyceltic.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  56. ^ "Nantwich Town | Appearances | Will Jaaskelainen | 2018-2019 | Football Web Pages". www.footballwebpages.co.uk.
  57. ^ "2018/19 Player Stats". Nantwich Town FC. Archived from the original on 3 July 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  58. ^ "Nantwich Town vs Worksop Town". Nantwich Town Football Club. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  59. ^ "Nantwich Town vs Chester FC". Nantwich Town Football Club. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  60. ^ "Games played by Will Jääskeläinen in 2022/2023". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  61. ^ "Ryan Wintle Takes Two End Of Season Awards". Crewe Alexandra. 3 July 2020. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 5 May 2023.