One of the greatest players of all time, Alexia Putellas has made the switch from Barcelona to London City Lionesses – but why?
When rumours of Alexia Putellas’ potential transfer to London City Lionesses began to emerge, the football world was shocked.
After all, this is arguably one of the greatest footballers in women’s football history leaving one of the most dominant teams in women’s football history to join a club who were founded just seven years ago.
It was never actually going to happen, right?
Well, in one of the biggest transfer shocks ever, Putellas is officially a London City Lionesses player.
Fresh off the back of yet another UEFA Women’s Champions League triumph – their fourth in six seasons – Barcelona agreed to part ways with the 32-year-old upon the expiry of her contract.
During her time at Barça, Putellas contributed to the rapid growth in popularity of women’s football in Spain, which the 2023 World Cup win no doubt accelerated, and the club’s immense success.
Since her arrival in 2012, Barcelona have won 10 Liga F titles, including the last seven, and 10 Copa de la Reina crowns.
Putellas did it in style, too; her numbers are nothing short of extraordinary.
In 508 matches across all competitions since her Blaugrana debut 14 years ago, Putellas netted 232 goals, and leaves as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Since Opta’s data collection for Liga F began in 2017-18, Putellas has managed 176 goal contributions, the most of any player. She also ranks fourth for chances created (202) since 2023-24.
Liga F goal contributions since 2017-18 - opta
Putellas’ best season in terms of output was 2021-22, when she recorded 33 goals and assists in 26 Liga F matches. She went on to win two Ballon d’Or Féminin awards for her efforts in 2021 and 2022, plus numerous other personal trophies and accolades. If we listed them all, we would be here all day.
Despite being 32 years old, Putellas’ output has not slowed down much; in Liga F last season, she tallied the eighth-most goal involvements (16, 9G 7A) and laid on 45 chances for teammates, a figure bettered by only nine players.
Furthermore, she ranked first for passes ending in the final third (780) not only in Liga F, but across all of Europe’s top five leagues. And Putellas ranked fourth in the Barcelona squad for passes into the opposition’s box (146), and fifth for touches in the opposition’s box (138).
This all highlights the attacking influence she’s been able to exert, and London City Lionesses will hope to reap the rewards of this at Hayes Lane for seasons to come.
Putellas was also a cut above in the UEFA Women’s Champions League last season. She created the joint-most chances of any player (36, level with Klara Bühl), including 10 Opta-defined ‘big chances’, the most of any player.
Alexia Putellas big chances created 2025-26 Champions League - Opta
Her six Champions League assists last season was also the second most, with only Bayern Munich’s Bühl producing more (eight).
Alongside teammates such as Aitana Bonmatí, Caroline Graham Hansen and Clàudia Pina, Putellas has been a leading factor behind Barça’s complete domination of the European football scene in recent times, managing 45 goals and assists in 90 Champions League matches, averaging a goal contribution every other game.
It used to be OL Lyonnes who were the continental powerhouses. Before Barcelona first won the Champions League in 2021, the French side had won seven of the previous 10 titles.
Curiously enough, OL Lyonnes’ majority owner, Michele Kang, is also the London City Lionesses’ majority owner. It makes perfect sense, then, why someone as familiar with success as Kang might look to make such a seismic move for a player similarly accustomed to winning.
But let’s not forget, London City Lionesses are a relatively small team with just one trophy – the 2024-25 Women’s Championship – to their name. Why would Putellas make the switch there?
Speaking after the announcement, Putellas said: “For me, it was the perfect decision. I know a lot of people say it’s for the money, but that’s not the case. If it were for the money, I wouldn’t be here. There are many other reasons.
“I need to challenge myself every season, and I needed something completely different from what I experienced at Barcelona.
“Here, there’s no men’s club behind the women’s team, there’s a female owner, and I’m in the most competitive league, which means I can push myself to my limits.”
The prospect of playing in the Women’s Super League is always appealing. According to the Opta Power Rankings, the WSL is the strongest in the world, with an average team rating of 84.
Liga F comes in at third with an average team rating of 78.8, so there is a clear difference in terms of competition and spread of strength across the board.
But if she wanted to play in the WSL, why not join a team like Arsenal, Manchester City or Chelsea? Especially considering the fact London City Lionesses, according to the Opta Power Rankings, are only the 41st-strongest team in the world right now, with a rating of 80.6. This, of course, puts them way behind the top teams in England, but they also sit below the likes of Tottenham (82.4) and Brighton & Hove Albion (81.3).
WSL Opta Power Ranking
Well, the answer to “why London City Lionesses?” probably lies in the fact they have made good progress and are showing plenty of promise. They finished sixth in their debut WSL season last term, earning points against the likes of Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool to name but a few.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, the Opta supercomputer‘s projection model ran 10,000 data-led simulations to forecast how the WSL campaign might turn out. London City were tipped for a 10th-place finish.
Considering this was their first time competing at the highest level, coupled with the fact they had acquired a lot of new players who needed time to gel, it wasn’t an outlandish prediction.
WSL predictions 2025-26 - Opta
Finishing sixth, on the other hand, was an unlikely outcome according to the supercomputer, which gave them just a 9.6% probability of doing so. They exceeded expectations and now have a very strong foundation to build upon.
Additionally, towards the end of 2025, London City Lionesses announced that plans were approved by the local council for a new training centre to “rival that of a men’s Premier League team, and be built to specifically meet the needs of women”.
They boast numerous big names such as Mary Earps, Delphine Cascarino andGrace Geyoro, while Barcelona defender Mapi León is also expected to join on a free transfer this summer.
In short, London City Lionesses represent an engaging project in a league rapidly gaining popularity. In the WSL, it seemed as though the gap separating the top four from the rest of the table was ever so slowly closing; now, a top-four finish is well within the sights of Putellas and co. next season.
It is an extraordinary move that will no doubt bring more eyes to the WSL and increase the status of a club who are only just finding their feet on the domestic stage.
With a hungry, motivated Putellas at their disposal, London City will have an eye on challenging the big guns for Champions League qualification.
Putellas to London City Lionesses is one of the most exciting transfers in a long, long time. Its bold and out-of-left-field nature reflects an ambitiousness that has come to characterise both the club and the league.
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