Mary Earps Returns to WSL with London City Lionesses

Mary Earps is back in the WSL. And she is not easing her way in.

London City Lionesses have landed the former England No 1 on a two-year deal, a statement signing for a club that has only just found its feet in the top flight but clearly has no intention of lingering in mid-table.

Earps, 33, will officially join on July 1 when her contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires, returning to a league she left two years ago after a formidable spell at Manchester United. Across five seasons at United she made 102 appearances and kept 45 clean sheets, the bedrock of the club’s rise into the WSL elite.

Now she walks into one of the division’s boldest projects.

A champion with a point to prove

Earps stunned English football last summer when she stepped away from international duty just five weeks before the Euros, shortly after losing her starting spot to Hannah Hampton. This is a goalkeeper who helped drag England to Euro 2022 glory and then to a World Cup final a year later. A big-tournament specialist. A leader. A presence.

So why London City? Because, as she puts it, she is not finished.

"I feel I still have so much left to give to the game, and that's exactly why I chose London City," she said after the move was confirmed. "I'm over the moon to join this club and I'm really looking forward to it. I feel the club aligns with what I stand for. I can't wait to get started and to get down to business."

The message is clear: this is not a wind-down contract. It is a challenge.

London City’s big swing

London City were promoted to the WSL for the first time last season and finished sixth. Respectable. Solid. But their recruitment suggests they see that as a starting point, not an achievement.

The club, backed by free-spending owner Michele Kang, is building aggressively. Earps is the latest headline arrival and the ambition stretches even further, with strong interest in Ballon d'Or winner and former Barcelona captain Alexia Putellas. If that deal happens, it would be one of the most seismic transfers the women’s game has seen.

Sky Sports’ Laura Hunter described Earps as “another coup” and it feels exactly that. London City are assembling a star-studded cast after just one season in the top flight. The question now is not whether they are serious, but how quickly this can turn into a sustained assault on the WSL’s established order.

Values, vision and a new training ground

For Earps, the project itself clearly mattered.

"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."

She highlighted the club’s new training facility as a symbol of intent.

"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."

This is not just about signing big names. It is about building an environment that convinces players like Earps that they can compete with the WSL’s superpowers sooner rather than later.

Fixing the weak spot

For all the excitement around London City’s attacking options, the numbers from last season tell a blunt story: Eder Maestre’s side conceded 35 goals, more than the league average of 32. If you want to break into the top four, you cannot leak that many.

Earps changes that equation.

She joins a goalkeeping group already featuring Elene Lete, who impressed last season with several key saves and interventions. Earps is not arriving to push anyone aside publicly; she is talking about collaboration and standards.

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

But make no mistake: a goalkeeper of Earps’ pedigree instantly raises the defensive ceiling. London City have targeted their most obvious weakness with one of the best in the business.

A message to the fans – and the league

Earps has always connected strongly with supporters, and she moved quickly to address the London City fanbase.

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

There is no sugar-coating from her about the scale of the task either.

"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 bar now. Not survival. Not consolidation. Climbing.

London City have the owner, the vision, the training ground and, increasingly, the names. With Mary Earps in goal and more big moves in the pipeline, the next question is simple: how quickly can this ambitious newcomer crash the WSL’s long-established party?