Guardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Suzanne Wrack’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips) Trying to figure out what London City will look like this season, or where they will finish, is nigh on impossible. Eight players have come in as the owner, Michele Kang, bids to continue her drive towards the top of the Women’s Super League and there are some superstars in that group, among them the two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas. The WSL debutants finished a respectable sixth last season, but were 22 points adrift of the top three.
Evidence suggests Kang will be ruthless if the team do not meet her expectations – despite a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign, Jocelyn Prêcheur was sacked as manager shortly before Christmas and replaced by Eder Maestre. Wholesale changes to teams hoping to break into the top three have proved costly in the past. The hope will be that the level of the players coming in will help London City develop into a side capable of securing Champions League football and challenging for the league.
What is clear is that Kang’s spending and ambition is playing a big role in bringing some of the biggest players in the world to the WSL. Mapi León said of her: “Everything counts when you make this kind of a decision, and of course, she was an important part because seeing another woman doing so much to help women’s sports and women’s football grow, I think it’s impossible not to value that. I think it’s something very powerful.” London City’s accounts for 2024-25 showed an operating loss of £10.6m and the effect of their big spending before their first season in the WSL, and even bigger spending this summer, will show in future filings.
The 2024-25 loss was more than 10 times their £902,000 revenue in that period. Critically, there is a need to grow the fanbase and, with no men’s club supporter pool to draw from, London City will have to be inventive. Maestre was appointed in January having previously managed UD Tenerife in Liga F, guiding them to sixth.
Maestre’s contract runs until 2028, but he cannot rest on that given Kang’s high expectations. The 42-year-old has shifted the way London City play and a host of new signings could prove fruitful in his system. Mary Earps, León and Kadidiatou Diani have arrived from Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona and Lyonnes respectively, but it is the recruitment of Putellas that has rocked the WSL.
The 32-year-old spent 14 years at Barcelona, helping them to the top of the women’s game, in the process becoming a talismanic figure. Putellas is far from past her prime and had the pick of clubs worldwide when deciding to leave Spain. Her recruitment was a statement of intent from Kang.
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