London City Lionesses have made their most valuable signing in their history by bringing a star like Alexia Putellas to the club.
In fact, few WSL clubs were able to make similar world-class signings especially in the last few seasons.
This deal is historic not only because Putellas represents a perfect midfield addition but also because London City’s project is an ambitious one that is still progressing to ultimately get the team established among the WSL’s top teams.
Such a transfer will help London City accelerate their development both on a footballing and on a marketing level, as the presence of a player like Putellas will surely attract the media to focus further on London City.
The Ballon d’Or winner’s intelligent and unexpected choice of moving to London City will also add a lot of creativity and quality to the team’s midfield, in addition to the winning mentality and the extensive experience that she will bring to the team.
Why Alexia Putellas' Signing Changes Everything For London City Lionesses
The move of Putellas to London City means that the club is progressively planning to reach the level of the top European teams.
Putellas is not an ordinary midfielder but one who has made 500 appearances so far, won 38 major trophies, four UWCL titles, ten Liga F trophies, and two Ballon d’Or awards.
The number of the valuable trophies that Putellas won in her career so far is extraordinary and can only mean that London City should exploit the talent of the Spanish international and her remarkable experience in the best possible way.
In fact, London City Lionesses are considering Putellas as a key player who will be helping the team mainly from a footballing perspective, and that’s why they offered her a long-term contract until 2029 instead of just a short-term contract made for commercial purposes.
The Spanish international will be the first Ballon d’Or Feminin winner to play in the WSL, which means that the transfer will also be beneficial for the WSL in general and not only to London City Lionesses.
Such star players contribute significantly to increasing the value of the league and attracting the interest of fans who are not used to follow the WSL in the past.
With such a stellar transfer, London City Lionesses are making an obvious statement: they are not only targeting survival in the WSL. Their objective is to progressively compete for the top spots.
Why Alexia Putellas Remains One Of Europe's Best Midfielders
It is true that Putellas is an indisputable midfield star on the pitch, but, whenever transfers for players who are in their thirties take place, questions often raise regarding the players’ ability to still perform well and whether they are still in their peak years or not.
For Putellas, the peak years were interrupted by a painful ACL injury just before the 2022 WEUROS, conditioning her performances for the period to come.
But prior to that, Putellas’ numbers were outstanding, with 34 goals scored in the 2021-2022 season and stellar performances throughout the season at Barcelona, making her earn the Ballon d’Or in that season too.
Obviously, her playing time in that 2021-2022 season and following her recovery from injury was incomparable, given that she only played 114 minutes during that injury season.
But after that, Putellas re-confirmed that she can still perform at her best and proved that in the 2024-2025 season with 2,797 minutes played and 22 goals scored.
Furthermore, the latest season was also very positive from Putellas as she played 2,926 minutes and was able to score 20 goals in all competitions, which is a very good goalscoring average for a midfielder.
Overall, these numbers suggest that the 32-year-old still has the ability to add a lot to London City Lionesses and that she is still capable of playing regularly and putting on very convincing performances.
Moreover, the fact that Putellas has won the UEFA Women's Champions League Player of the Season award this past season can only mean that Putellas is actually still the best midfielder in Europe and that she is still in her peak years.
Can Alexia Putellas Thrive In The Women's Super League?
The quality of Putellas is indisputable. But, will she be able to have the same impact in a different WSL environment and in a different team ?
Barcelona’s playing style was very suitable to Putellas’ traits since it was based on possession, quick triangular passing and penetrations, and a very attacking-based style.
The presence of elite teammates most of the time was also something that helped not only Putellas but the whole team perform in an impressive way throughout the last seasons.
However, things will be different with London City Lionesses as the quality of the players is different and the playing style is not that similar to Barcelona’s.
Added to that, the WSL’s general type of football is more physical and less technical than that of Liga F, an aspect that Putellas should prepare herself to and probably adapt her playing style to as well.
Another important factor that might not serve in Putellas’ favour is the fact that the WSL might have shorter possession sequences, less tactical complexities and more transition-based periods that require more more frequent accelerations and sprints.
That said, Putellas is a very intelligent and technical midfielder who can cope with such changes and adapt her game to the requirements of the WSL and those of London City Lionesses.
Her ability to dictate the game through creative key passes, use her physical strength well enough to win duels and protect the ball, as well as her shooting and dribbling traits will surely make it easier for her to cope with the mentioned changes.
And let’s not forget that she is not the first player to come from la Liga F and succeed in the WSL, as Mariona Caldentey adapted her game successfully when she joined Arsenal coming from Barcelona.
There are encouraging precedents for players arriving from Spain.
When it comes to her age, Putellas proved last season that she is still performing at her best and that her age will not be representing an issue for her this coming season.
That said, Putellas knows exactly how to manage her energy during games, when to accelerate, when to recover, and when to use her full energy, and she will need to rely on this energy management system to remain consistent throughout the season and avoid getting herself injured or exhausted in specific periods.
It will also be the duty of the coaching staff to work with her on this athletic and energy aspect so as to benefit from her input as much as possible without impacting her form/injury risks especially by knowing when to rest her and when to keep her on the pitch.
