Mary Earps Joins London City Lionesses: A Bold Move in WSL

Mary Earps is back in the WSL – and she has not come quietly.

London City Lionesses have completed the signing of the former England No 1 on a two-year deal, with the 33-year-old officially arriving on July 1 when her contract with Paris Saint-Germain ends. It is a move that sends a clear message: the league’s newest disruptors are not here to make up the numbers.

Earps returns to England two years after leaving Manchester United, where she built an imposing legacy across five seasons. She made 102 appearances for United, keeping 45 clean sheets and becoming the heartbeat of a side that grew from hopefuls into contenders.

A champion with something to prove

Earps stunned the international game last summer when she retired from England duty just five weeks before the Euros, having lost her starting place to Hannah Hampton. For a goalkeeper who had been central to England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the World Cup final a year later, it felt like a brutal twist.

Yet the way she speaks about this move tells you she is not done shaping the sport.

"I'm over the moon to join this club and I'm really looking forward to it," she said. "I feel the club aligns with what I stand for. I can't wait to get started and to get down to business."

This is not a veteran winding down. This is a serial competitor picking a battleground.

London City, promoted to the WSL for the first time last season and finishing a very respectable sixth, have sold her a vision. A club on the rise. A new training facility. An owner, Michele Kang, willing to spend and to push. Earps has bought in.

"The club's values represent what I want to represent and they are passionate about what I want to achieve and change the game in a positive way," she said. "All the conversations have been really positive and every time I spoke with the club I wanted to hear more.

"The vision and ambition, including the new training facility, is incredible and I'm looking forward to seeing that develop. It shows what our owner, Michele, and everyone at the club want to do in terms of really going for it.

"It's about putting a marker down and saying we want to be competitive in a short space of time."

Fixing the weak spot

For all the optimism around London City’s debut WSL campaign, one number kept nagging away: 35 goals conceded. Eder Maestre’s side shipped more than the league average of 32. If the plan is to crash the division’s traditional top four, that defensive record has to tighten.

Earps changes the picture immediately.

Her command of the box, her reading of danger, her authority with the back line – these are exactly the qualities London City lacked in key moments last season. She will not just save shots; she will organise the chaos in front of her.

She is also walking into a goalkeeping group that already has talent. Earps made a point of name-checking Elene Lete, who impressed in the club’s first top-flight campaign.

"I'm looking forward to working alongside Elene and the goalkeeping unit," Earps said. "Elene made some great saves and interventions last season. Hopefully, we can bounce off each other and work hard and enjoy it."

That is another part of the appeal for London City. This is a leader as much as a shot-stopper.

A club thinking big

The Earps deal does not stand alone. London City are openly chasing some of the game’s biggest names. Their strong interest in Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas underlines just how bold this project has become. Landing the former Barcelona captain on a free would be the kind of move that shifts the axis of the league.

Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter described Earps as “another coup” and it is hard to argue. The pattern is clear: a star-studded cast being assembled at remarkable speed, underpinned by the resources and ambition of Michele Kang.

Of course, there is a familiar question whenever a club stacks its squad with high-profile players: can it all gel? The men’s game is littered with examples of talent-heavy projects that never quite became teams – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG spring instantly to mind.

London City will have to find their own answer to that. But in Earps they have signed a player whose standards tend to drag others with her.

“So much left to give”

For all the noise around the club, Earps keeps bringing the conversation back to the pitch, and to the work ahead.

"My message to the fans is that I'm really excited to get started and make some memories together," she said. "I can't wait to play in front of you all.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know the players, the style of play and club culture, and trying to give everything I can to help the club achieve its collective goals and be as successful as possible.

"I feel I still have so much left to give to the game, and that's exactly why I chose London City.

"It won't be easy, the WSL is extremely competitive. The team had a brilliant 2025/26 season, finishing mid-table in their first season, now it's about climbing the table and working towards finishing as high as possible."

That is the challenge laid out in plain terms. London City have cracked the top flight at the first attempt. Now they want more – faster than most would dare to admit.

And with Mary Earps standing behind them, they have just signed a goalkeeper who has built a career on turning ambition into reality.