Mary Earps Joins London City Lionesses: A Bold Move in Women's Football
Mary Earps is coming home. Not to Old Trafford this time, but to a club intent on crashing English football’s establishment.
The former England No 1 has signed a two-year deal with London City Lionesses after leaving Paris St-Germain, a move that underlines both her enduring ambition and the scale of the project being built in the capital.
At 33, Earps could easily have chosen comfort. Instead, she has picked a club trying to fast‑track its way into the elite.
“I feel the club aligns with what I stand for. I can't wait to get started and to get down to business,” she said, her words echoing the tone of a player who has no interest in a gentle glide toward retirement.
A serial winner with unfinished business
Earps arrives from PSG off the back of another impressive season. Twenty-two league appearances. Twelve clean sheets. A third-place finish in France, with only Lyon out of reach.
Her performances in Paris showed little sign of decline, just the same sharp reflexes and command that made her a cornerstone of England’s modern era. Twice crowned Fifa Best Goalkeeper of the Year, she was pivotal in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final, a period that elevated her from dependable international to genuine icon.
She then anchored Manchester United through five transformative years, making more than 100 appearances and helping the club lift their first major trophy in 2024 with the Women’s FA Cup. United painted her story on the walls – literally. A mural of Earps outside Old Trafford still celebrates her spell there.
Her international retirement in 2025 did not dim the spotlight. Her book, released in November, sparked controversy and dominated the news cycle for weeks, a reminder that she had become one of the most recognised and influential figures in the women’s game. Yet when she returned to Old Trafford with PSG in the Women’s Champions League earlier this season, the reaction cut through the noise: warm applause at full-time from the home fans who once sang her name.
Respect endures. So does her competitive edge.
“I feel I still have so much left to give to the game and that's exactly why I chose London City,” she said. That line will land well in a dressing room being built to climb, not just survive.
London City’s intent made crystal clear
This is not a quiet, careful rebuild. Backed by wealthy American businesswoman Michele Kang, London City Lionesses have made it clear they are not content with being a novelty story in the Women’s Super League.
Sixth place in their debut WSL season in 2025-26 was impressive: mid-table, safe, credible. For a first campaign at that level, it was more than respectable. Earps sees it as a starting point, not a destination.
“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,” she said.
The recruitment drive backs that up. Earps’ return to England is only one part of an aggressive summer. London City are set to sign Spain defender Mapi Leon, one of the most accomplished centre-backs in the world, and remain in talks with two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas after her departure from Barcelona.
If those deals are completed, a club that only just arrived in the WSL will suddenly boast a spine that would not look out of place at any of Europe’s superclubs. A serial title winner in Leon. A global superstar in Putellas. And behind them, Earps, the goalkeeper who has spent the last five years operating under the harshest possible spotlight.
The message is unmistakable: London City are not here to make up the numbers.
A project with teeth
Earps spoke of values and vision, but she also talked infrastructure. The new training facility has clearly caught her eye.
“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.”
That is the crux of it. This is not a sentimental homecoming or a farewell tour. It is a statement of intent from both player and club.
For Earps, the WSL offers no illusions of comfort. “It won't be easy - the WSL is extremely competitive,” she said, acknowledging a league where margins tighten every season and reputations count for very little once the whistle goes.
For London City, signing a goalkeeper of her calibre is about more than shot-stopping. It is about mentality, standards, and the weight a name like hers carries in every stadium they visit.
She will walk into a dressing room that has already proved it can compete. The question now is whether, with Earps at the back and potentially world-class talent in front of her, London City Lionesses can turn early promise into something far more unsettling for the established order.
They have drawn their marker on the ground. The rest of the WSL will now decide how seriously to take it.
