Mary Earps Returns to English Football with London City Lionesses

Mary Earps is coming home. And she is not easing her way back into English football – she is planting a flag.

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 own ambition and the intent of a club suddenly behaving like it belongs at the sharp end of the Women’s Super League.

At 33, Earps could have taken the comfortable option. She walks away from PSG after a season in which she made 22 league appearances, kept 12 clean sheets and helped the French side to third place in the Première Ligue, even if they finished a distant 13 points behind Lyon. Instead, she has chosen a project that is still taking shape, but already making noise.

“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, the words carrying the same edge that has defined her career. This is not a farewell tour. This is a goalkeeper still spoiling for a fight.

A statement from both sides

London City, backed by wealthy American businesswoman Michele Kang, finished sixth in their debut WSL campaign in 2025‑26. Respectable. Impressive, even. But not enough for an ownership that has made little secret of its desire to accelerate the club’s rise.

Earps fits that mood perfectly.

“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 talks clearly did their job. What swung it? Vision. Detail. Bricks and mortar.

“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.”

This is not just a big name at the back. It is a signal to the rest of the league that London City intend to move fast.

A serial winner with unfinished business

Earps arrives as one of the most decorated and influential figures of the modern women’s game. Twice named Fifa Best Goalkeeper of the Year, she stood at the heart of England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final, a presence as commanding in the dressing room as she was in the penalty area.

Her club résumé is equally weighty. Five years at Manchester United brought more than 100 appearances and, crucially, the club’s first major trophy as they lifted the Women’s FA Cup in 2024. For a side desperate to translate potential into silverware, she became a cornerstone.

Her international career ended in 2025, but she did not drift quietly into the background. A book released in November sparked controversy and dominated headlines for weeks, pushing her into the centre of a cultural conversation that extended well beyond football. She became one of the country’s most recognisable and influential players, a figure painted – literally – onto the fabric of the game.

Outside Old Trafford, a mural of Earps celebrates her time at United. Earlier this season, when she returned there with PSG in the Women’s Champions League, the home fans responded with a warm applause at full-time. Whatever the noise around her, the respect remains.

London City’s bold summer

That respect is shared by London City, who are not content with just one marquee signing. Earps is the headline, but not the whole story.

The club are set to bring in Spain defender Mapi León, one of the most accomplished centre-backs in the world game, and are in ongoing talks with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas following her departure from Barcelona. If those deals are completed, the Lionesses’ spine would suddenly look like something assembled for a title challenge rather than consolidation.

For a side that only entered the WSL in 2025‑26 and finished mid-table in their first campaign, this is a dramatic escalation. The message is clear: sixth is not a destination, it is a launchpad.

Earps knows exactly what she is stepping into.

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

No illusions. No guarantees. Just a challenge that suits a goalkeeper who has spent a career thriving under pressure.

A new chapter, same edge

This move pulls several threads together. A club with fresh money and sharp ambition. A league that grows more unforgiving every season. A goalkeeper whose legacy is already secure, but whose hunger clearly is not.

Earps could have chosen comfort. Instead she has chosen a fight on home soil, in a league she knows, with a team intent on disrupting the established order.

London City have their marker. Now they have to live up to it.