London City Lionesses\u2019 headline signing talks expectations, the lure of playing in England and the prospect of being kicked by her former teammates<\/p>\n
Momentarily, Alexia Putellas appears somewhat nervous, stepping inside the cramped conference room in a Kent hotel to see 23 reporters squeezed inside, all eager to hear from the Women\u2019s Super League\u2019s newest global superstar, but she quickly composes herself. Within minutes, she is into her stride, asking for tips about roast dinners and drawing laughs from the room as she jokes that her friends who play for other English clubs have told her they are going to kick her. Welcome to the WSL.<\/p>\n
Speaking in English throughout the 20-minute session with ever-increasing proficiency, the two-time Ballon d\u2019Or winner and four-time Champions League winner explains why she has swapped the prestige of Barcelona \u2013 where she has been idolised over a trophy-laden 14-year spell \u2013 for a team that finished 22 points adrift of the European qualification places last term.<\/p>\n
Backed by the ambitious businesswoman Michele Kang, the independently run London City Lionesses have made eye-catching, world-class signings this summer, including the France forward Kadidiatou Diani from Lyonnes \u2013 who are also majority-owned by Kang \u2013 Putellas\u2019s Barcelona teammate Mapi Le\u00f3n and the former England goalkeeper Mary Earps from PSG.<\/p>\n
Undoubtedly, though, Putellas is the biggest of them all and the signing that will have made all of women\u2019s football take notice. As a serial winner will Putellas have to be patient for trophies here?<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth can live together, my mentality and the moment of the project. I\u2019m going to bring to the project whatever the project needs from me, so I\u2019m 100% committed,\u201d the 2023 World Cup winner says. \u201cI\u2019m hungry to win, to be better day after day, to fight with my teammates for the victory. I\u2019m going to try to give my best to the team and let\u2019s see at the end of the season how good we were.\u201d<\/p>\n
London City Lionesses were promoted to the WSL in 2025, finished sixth last season in their top-flight debut and are yet to win a major trophy. Asked what her expectations are, Putellas says: \u201cI don\u2019t have expectations. I just want the hard work we are doing to speak for itself. It\u2019s a hard competition. Of course, I have a competitive mind and I want to win every game. But I don\u2019t have expectations in this sport. In my opinion, you shouldn\u2019t. Just work in the back[ground] and give everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putellas was named as the Women\u2019s Champions League\u2019s player of the season after helping fire Barcelona to a fourth European title in six seasons, yet at the age of 32, she still feels she can improve \u2013 \u201cOf course, always, day after day, I want to learn things [and] just keep going, I never stop [trying to] be as good as I can,\u201d \u2013 but specifically she thinks the WSL can add elements to her skillset.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be different, but that\u2019s why I\u2019m here, because I\u2019m looking forward to improving myself,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s being a more complete player, as much as I can. It\u2019s about learning new things, playing with and against other players and just trying to find where my limits are. It will take time because it\u2019s a new beginning and a big change for me.<\/p>\n
\u201c[In the WSL] you never know what will be the result of the game; it\u2019s a very competitive league, week after week. I imagine all the games will push you to your limits. It\u2019s a very entertaining league.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first conversation [I had with London City] was about what the club wants and how ambitious the project is. I want to be part of that journey, bring the experience I have and learn as a player and make me more complete. I made the move for that and just being in other positions that I\u2019ve never been in. In my opinion, this league can give me that.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if she had sought advice from her former Barcelona teammates, such as the England duo Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze, about what to expect in England, she says: \u201cWell, some of them told me that it\u2019s a hard league and they\u2019re going to kick me. No, I\u2019m just joking.\u201d<\/p>\n
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She also chuckled when asked about London\u2019s traffic and expensive property prices, even if she was slightly hesitant reflecting on her first taste of an English fry-up: \u201cErm, yes. It was quite different. Not the beans, but the sausages and eggs. It was fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
She will have plenty of help when it comes to settling into the London City, with six Spanish teammates and a head coach, Eder Maestre, who she says did a \u201creally good job with Tenerife\u201d. Maestre, yet another coaching export of the Basque Country, was at Tenerife for a year and a half, finishing sixth in his only full season and taking them to fifth by the time he left for England.<\/p>\n