Putellas’s arrival raises London City’s ambitions before champions’ clash
Alexia Putellas’s move to London City Lionesses has helped shift the club’s ambitions and raised its profile ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester City. Chief executive Martin Semmens says her influence has strengthened belief that the team can beat the champions, while her fame has helped attract commercial interest.
Putellas won the Ballon d’Or on Monday, and the club says its Instagram page received 34 million hits by Thursday. London City claim their Nike front-of-shirt sponsorship is the largest in women’s football and worth more than Atlanta’s reported $4 million a year. The club’s rapid investment has also drawn scrutiny: it recorded an operating loss more than ten times its revenue in 2024-25, and WSL salary-cap rules now limit player wage spending.
In short
- Putellas has lifted London City’s belief and profile.
- The club says its Nike deal is the biggest in women’s football.
- Its spending and losses have attracted scrutiny.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Putellas provides mindset change as London City bid to upstage champions”.