Everton Sign Jutta Rantala from Leicester City

Everton have struck a deal to sign Finland international Jutta Rantala from Leicester City, landing one of the most dangerous forwards in last season’s Women’s Super League.

The 26-year-old still has a year left on her Leicester contract, so Everton are expected to pay a fee, but this is a move they have clearly targeted and worked towards. Talks between the clubs were already under way last week, part of a growing transfer corridor between Merseyside and the Midlands.

That route has been busy. France forward Noemie Mouchon has already swapped Leicester for Everton on a free, while Wales international Hannah Cain has returned to Merseyside from the Foxes. Now comes the headline act.

Rantala arrived in England from Swedish side Vittsjo GIK in 2023 and wasted no time making her mark. Thirteen goals in 48 appearances, Leicester’s player of the season, and their top scorer in 2023-24. She quickly became the focal point of their attack, the player Leicester leaned on when they needed a moment of quality.

Then came the setback. A knee injury in the following campaign checked her momentum and, in brutal tandem with Leicester’s wider struggles, helped drag the club into trouble they could not escape. Relegation from the Women’s Super League in June triggered an exodus; Rantala is set to become the sixth player to leave this summer.

Her numbers for Finland underline why Everton have moved decisively. Ten goals in 36 caps, a regular in the national side and part of the squad at Euro 2025, she brings experience at the highest level as well as end product. She is not a prospect. She is ready-made.

For Leicester, this is another painful but perhaps inevitable departure after the drop. For Everton, it is a statement that they do not intend to drift in mid-table.

They finished eighth in the WSL last season, a campaign overshadowed by the departure of manager Brian Sorensen. The club has since turned to Scott Phelan as permanent successor, and his first summer in charge is beginning to take shape with four new signings already through the door.

Rantala would be the most eye-catching of the lot. A proven scorer, a former club talisman, and a player with a point to prove after injury and relegation.

Everton wanted more threat, more bite, more goals. If Rantala finds her Leicester form in blue, they might just have found all three.