Mary Earps Joins London City Lionesses: A New Ambitious Project
Mary Earps is coming home. Not to Old Trafford this time, but to a club intent on muscling its way into the elite.
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 Lionesses’ plans.
At 33, with a mural outside Old Trafford and a medal collection that spans Euro 2022 glory and a World Cup final, Earps could have eased into the quieter chapters of her career. Instead, she has picked a project that is loudly declaring it wants trouble at the top of the Women’s Super League.
“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, framing this not as a farewell tour, but as a fresh fight.
From Paris pedigree to London project
Earps leaves France with her reputation fully intact. She made 22 league appearances for PSG this season, keeping 12 clean sheets as the club finished third, 13 points behind Lyon. In a league dominated by the serial champions, she remained a reliable constant, the sort of goalkeeper who gives a side a platform even when the title is out of reach.
Her decision to walk away at the end of her contract was always going to attract serious interest. Two-time Fifa Best Goalkeeper of the Year. The backbone of England’s Euro 2022 triumph. A driving force in their run to the 2023 World Cup final. This is not just another experienced signing; this is a statement.
London City know it. And so does Earps.
“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.”
That curiosity has now turned into commitment.
Backed by ambition – and money
London City Lionesses are not creeping into this transfer window. They are kicking the door open.
Backed by wealthy American businesswoman Michele Kang, they finished sixth in their debut WSL campaign in 2025-26, a mid-table finish that felt more like a warning shot than a ceiling. Now comes the real test: can they turn momentum into menace?
The recruitment drive suggests they intend to try. Earps is the headline arrival, but not the only one. They are set to sign Spain defender Mapi Leon, one of the most accomplished centre-backs in the game, and remain in talks with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas after her departure from Barcelona.
This is not tinkering. This is an attempted power shift.
Earps has seen the infrastructure to match the rhetoric.
“The vision and ambition, including the new training facility, is incredible and I'm looking forward to seeing that develop,” she said. “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.”
A legacy already written – and still growing
For many, Earps’ legacy was secured long before this move. She became one of England’s most recognised and influential players, a figure whose impact stretched well beyond the white lines.
Her five-year spell at Manchester United brought more than 100 appearances and, crucially, the club’s first major trophy in 2024 as they lifted the Women’s FA Cup. The mural outside Old Trafford is no empty gesture; it is a permanent reminder of how central she was to that rise.
Even after a turbulent spell off the pitch – her book, released in November, sparked controversy and dominated headlines for weeks – the bond with United supporters remained intact. When she returned to Old Trafford with PSG in the Women’s Champions League earlier this season, the home fans responded with a warm applause at full-time. Respect, not resentment.
By then, her international chapter was closed. Earps announced her retirement from England duty in 2025, stepping away with a haul of individual honours and the status of a standard-bearer for the modern goalkeeper.
Yet the competitive fire clearly hasn’t dimmed.
“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 hint of nostalgia in that line, just intent.
No illusions about the fight ahead
Earps knows exactly what she is walking into. The WSL is unforgiving. Established giants are not about to roll aside for a newcomer with fresh money and big ideas.
“It won't be easy – the WSL is extremely competitive,” she said. “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: turn sixth into something sharper, something that unsettles the hierarchy. With Earps behind a defence that may soon include Mapi Leon, and possibly Alexia Putellas orchestrating further forward, London City are building a spine designed for more than survival.
For Earps, this is not a gentle landing back in England. It is another leap into the unknown, at a club determined to grow faster than the league expects.
If London City Lionesses really are serious about “going for it”, they now have a goalkeeper whose entire career has been built on thriving when the stakes rise.
