William Albert Jääskeläinen (born 25 July 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for 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. He turned professional with Bolton Wanderers at the start of the 2015–16 season. Shortly after, Jääskeläinen was given a number fifty shirt.
After being released by the club, he had a trial in August 2017 at VPSWilliam Jääskeläinen tutustumassa Vepsuun, VPSTV Youtube, 1 August 2017 in his father's native Finland. On 24 July he signed for Leek Town.
Crewe Alexandra
A month later, he signed for Crewe Alexandra.
During the 2017–18 season, Jääskeläinen went on loan to Loughborough Dynamo, Nantwich Town, Buxton, and Chester.
Jääskeläinen signed a new three-year contract with Crewe in May 2018, but spent much of the 2018–19 season on loan again at Nantwich Town,Nantwich sign Will Jaaskelainen on loan, thenonleaguefootballpaper.com, 16 August 2018Crewe Alex keeper Will Jaaskelainen set to rejoin Nantwich Town on loan, cheshire-live.co.uk, 21 November 2018 though a loan extension to the end of the season was cut short when Crewe recalled him on 20 March 2019.
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. In June 2020, Jääskeläinen signed a new two-year deal with Crewe. Following relegation to League Two, Jääskeläinen was released by the club at the end of the 2021–22 season. Both the club and Jääskeläinen felt that he needed a "fresh challenge".
AFC Wimbledon
He signed for AFC Wimbledon in September 2022, on a one-month contract, as cover for the injured Nathan Broome. He made his debut for the club in the EFL Trophy victory over Crawley Town and then extended his contract until January 2023. He was released upon the expiry of his contract on 13 January 2023.
Woking On 4 February 2023, Jääskeläinen signed for National League club Woking. After 14 appearances for the Cardinals, he was offered a new contract in May 2023, signing a one-year deal.
International career
Jääskeläinen is eligible to play for England, his birthplace, and Finland, through his parents.
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.
Jääskeläinen has also represented Finland at under-19 youth level. In August 2019, he was called up by Finland Under-21s for two UEFA Euro U21 qualifiers. He was called up again by the under-21s in November 2019.
Personal life Jääskeläinen is the son of former Bolton Wanderers and Finland goalkeeper Jussi Jääskeläinen, the oldest of three brothers. His younger brother Emil signed his first professional contract with Blackpool in 2019. Jääskeläinen was educated at Bolton School Boys' Division. Growing up, Jaaskelainen and his brothers were raised bilingually, speaking Finnish at home and English with their friends.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueFA CupEFL CupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsCrewe Alexandra 2018–19League Two40000000402019–20League Two3504000003902020–21League One3102000003302021–22League One150002030200Total850602030960Loughborough Dynamo (loan)2017–18Northern Premier LeagueDivision One South8000—1090Nantwich Town (loan)2017–18Northern Premier LeaguePremier Division5030—20100Buxton (loan)2017–18Northern Premier LeaguePremier Division3000—0030Chester (loan)2017–18National League0000—0000Nantwich Town (loan)2018–19Northern Premier LeaguePremier Division23010—20260AFC Wimbledon 2022–23League Two0000001010Woking 2022–23National League130——101402023–24National League30030—103402024–25National League43020—605102025–26National League34020—203802026–27National League12000—00120Total134070—1001510Career total2540170201902920
Honours Crewe Alexandra EFL League Two runner-up: 2019–20
Individual Crewe Alexandra Breakthrough Player of the Year: 2019–20
External links
Crewe Alexandra official profile William Jääskeläinen – SPL competition record
References