Official: Alexia Putellas, new player of London City Lionesses

BarcelonaAmidst celebrations by Spaniards, Norwegians, and Argentinians, Alexia Putellas has once again found herself in the spotlight. The former Barça player has been presented in New York as the new player for London City Lionesses. The player from Mollet, who on June 30th ended a fourteen-year spell at Barça, signs for the team owned by Michele Kang and will become part of the Kynisca group, an organization that also owns Olympique Lyonnais. “The future does not belong to those who wait, it belongs to those who want to build, to those who want to see something that others cannot, to those who believe before anyone else. I am excited to start this new chapter with London City Lionesses,” stated Alexia, who will continue to wear the number eleven jersey.

As ARA already explained, the player from Mollet del Vallès has spoken about the club's ambition and London City's commitment to growing as an exclusively female entity as some of the reasons why she has chosen the English team over other North American proposals. “I am eager to influence on the field with the challenge of winning titles. Off the pitch, I am excited to build on my passion for youth development and to work with Michele Kang to elevate women's football in England and worldwide. When I met Kang, she told me that women's football is not a charity. I will do my best to help grow women's football”.

Alexia also revealed a conversation with Michele Kang. "When her project started some time ago, she called me because she was interested in knowing what was important to the players. After that conversation, she explained the project she had in mind. Over time, I have seen that she has done everything she said. For me, this is important, that it's not just words, but actions. This is another of the reasons why I have chosen London City".

The Catalan player, who has confessed that she wants to continue competing and that she is not going to London to enjoy herself –as some people have told her–, has detailed how these weeks have gone. "The first thing I had to think about was whether, after fourteen years, it was time to put an end to my time at Barça. After winning everything, I think it was a good time to leave after having given my all. Then, I met with my agent and told him that I wanted to keep winning and competing every weekend. It has been an easy decision and I am excited about playing in England. My mentality is not changing, I continue wanting to win everything," she stated.

The South Korean magnate has highlighted the importance of this signing. “It’s a dream come true, I can’t believe I’m sitting here. Alexia Putellas embodies talent, dedication, and vision in women's football. Her decision to join our exclusively women's club – the only one currently in the English First Division – is a powerful endorsement of what we are building at London City and Kynisca,” stated Kang, who added that they will work to create new commercial opportunities and development pathways for young athletes.

Although Alexia's signing was not made official until this Wednesday, rumors of her arrival have sparked the interest of English fans. London City has already sold more season tickets than it did at the start of last season, a figure that is expected to grow even further after the official announcement of her arrival. The English team plays its matches at Hayes Lane, a stadium – which it shares with the men's Bromley – located about twenty kilometers from London and with a capacity of 6,100 people.

Michele Kang's obsession with Barça

Michele Kang has returned to fish at Barça. The businesswoman, who already has sports director Markel Zubizarreta, coach Jonatan Giráldez and players like Jana Fernández, Ingrid Engen, María Pérez or Lucía Corrales in her group, continues to threaten the Catalan team, which cannot compete with the South Korean's millions. This summer, besides Alexia Putellas, she will also take Mapi León to London City, while Salma Paralluelo received interest from the London club and Olympique de Lyon.

And she is achieving all this with a very young club. Founded in 2019 after separating from Millwall – with a presence in men's football – it was acquired in 2023 by Kang's Kynisca group. In the 2025-26 season, they played for the first time in the English First Division, where they achieved permanence after changing the coach mid-season. Eder Maestre, former Tenerife coach, took the reins at the beginning of the year. 

The English entity continues to grow off the field. A few months ago, it announced the creation of the "most advanced training center in the world for women's football" at Cobdown Park, about fifty kilometers from London, which will open "soon", as the South Korean businesswoman has confirmed. In addition, Kang also recently created an institute dedicated to analyzing and studying women's football and women's behavior in sport through science and innovation. Among the studies are injury prevention, mental health, workload management, menstrual health, and the transition from youth categories to the elite.