Mary Earps Joins London City Lionesses: A New Chapter in Women's Football

Mary Earps is back in English football. Not through the doors of a traditional powerhouse, but via a statement move that underlines the shifting landscape of the women’s game: a two-year deal with London City Lionesses.

The former England No.1, twice named Fifa Best Goalkeeper of the Year, has left Paris St-Germain after two seasons in France to join a club intent on fast-tracking itself into the elite.

A heavyweight keeper for an ambitious upstart

Earps, 33, arrives in London on the back of another strong campaign with PSG. She made 22 league appearances in the Première Ligue this season, keeping 12 clean sheets as the Parisian side finished third, 13 points behind dominant champions Lyon.

Those numbers tell one story. Her presence tells another.

"I feel the club aligns with what I stand for. I can't wait to get started and to get down to business," Earps said as the move was announced, a clear hint that this is about more than a final payday.

For London City, still relatively new to the Women’s Super League but backed by wealthy American businesswoman Michele Kang, this is a signing with symbolism. A goalkeeper who played a central role in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final is now anchoring a project that wants to disrupt the established order.

From Old Trafford icon to London project

Earps arrives with a legacy few in the English game can match.

She spent five years at Manchester United, making more than 100 appearances and helping the club secure their first major trophy in 2024 by lifting the Women’s FA Cup. Her performances for club and country brought a stream of individual accolades before she retired from international duty in 2025.

By then, she had become one of the most recognisable and influential figures in English women’s football. Her book, released in November, sparked controversy and dominated headlines for weeks, a reminder of the reach and weight her voice now carries.

Yet when she returned to Old Trafford earlier this season with PSG in the Women’s Champions League, the reception cut through the noise. At full-time, home fans rose to applaud her. Outside the stadium, a mural of Earps still stares out from the wall, a permanent tribute to a goalkeeper who helped shape United’s modern story.

Now she chooses a very different canvas.

London City raise the stakes

London City Lionesses are not creeping quietly through this transfer window. They are crashing the door open.

Earps’ arrival is part of an aggressive recruitment drive designed to accelerate their rise after a hugely credible first campaign in the WSL. In 2025-26, their debut season in the top flight, they finished sixth – a mid-table position that felt like a warning shot rather than a ceiling.

The club, powered by Kang’s investment and vision, is pursuing several high-profile names. Spain defender Mapi Leon is set to join, while talks continue with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas following her exit from Barcelona. These are not speculative links; they are the kind of targets that tell established giants someone new is muscling into their territory.

Earps has been sold on that ambition.

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

The goalkeeper spoke with particular enthusiasm about the club’s infrastructure plans.

"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 [Kang] 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."

Still hungry, still chasing

Earps has nothing left to prove. Yet she talks like someone starting again.

"I feel I still have so much left to give to the game and that's exactly why I chose London City," she said. There was no illusion in her assessment of what awaits. "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: to turn a promising debut season into a sustained push upwards, in a league where the margins at the top grow finer every year.

For London City, signing a goalkeeper of Earps’ calibre is about more than saves and clean sheets. It is about sending a message to the rest of the division that they intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with the clubs who have dominated the conversation for a decade.

For Earps, it is a new chapter in a career already defined by big stages, big moments and big decisions.

The mural at Old Trafford will stay where it is. The next image, though, might be of her in London blue, dragging a new contender closer to the summit of the WSL.