Lionesses defender Esme Morgan will leave Manchester City after nine years, with reports saying she will transfer to Washington Spirit in the USA.
England Defender Esme Morgan Will Leave Manchester City In The Summer
Morgan’s Transfer Announcement
Morgan shared the news of her upcoming transfer, through a heartfelt letter to her club and fans, which expressed her immense appreciation for her career at City.
She wrote: “For nine years I’ve been lucky to live a dream and have the honour of playing for my club […]. Thank you… to all my coaches through the years for your belief in me and knowledge shared,
“To my teammates, you are the most wonderful people. […] I’ll be kicking every ball with you from a distance so please try to keep nervy moments to a minimum for the sake of my heart!”
She signed off the post explaining that the time has come for her to leave the club and step outside her comfort zone, writing: “To our fans, the heart of the club, a short paragraph can’t do justice to how proud it’s made me feel to represent you. I want to reach my potential and be one of the world’s best and l’ve felt for a while that the best thing for my career, to develop and improve my game, is to experience a new challenge, out of the comfort of my home.”
Morgan Rises Through The Ranks With City
The defender’s announcement comes after nine years playing for Manchester City. Before the Citizens, she was playing football with a boy’s team near Sheffield, staying on the team from four years old up to U16 level.
Morgan signed for the academy in 2015, making her senior debut two years later, at just 16 years old.
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She proceeded to make 87 appearances for City across all competitions, winning both the Conti Cup and the FA Cup. This last season, she was part of the squad that missed out on the WSL title, racing against Chelsea right down to the final matchday.
Morgan’s side ended up only losing to Emma Hayes’ side on goal difference after a hard-fought battle for the championship.
An International Career
The England defender made her international debut in October 2022 and now has eight caps for the Lionesses.
At the 2023 World Cup, Morgan helped England to reach the final against Spain, with the Lionesses ending the FIFA tournament as runners-up for the first time in history.
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As a highly-rated defender, the 23-year-old has had a significant impact for England over the past year, whilst her time on the pitch has been limited with Manchester City.
She only played 530 minutes during the 2023/24 season under Gareth Taylor, appearing in a minimal nine matches. Morgan has recently been called up to the England squad for the upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers.
Next Up For The England Defender
She has not yet announced which club she will move to but BBC Sport reports that she is likely to join National Women’s Soccer League (NSWL) team Washington Spirit in the USA.
The Spirit will soon be led by former Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez, who is set to take over at the club following a Champion’s League victory for the Blaugranas, which completed their quadruple this season.
Morgan will link up with U.S. international players at Spirit, such as Trinity Rodman and Casey Kreuger. She will also join rookie player Croix Bethune, who has just had her first call-up to the US Women’s National Team on the June camp roster by new head coach Hayes.
Washington Spirit currently ranks third place in the NWSL with only three points behind first place side Orlando Pride, recently bolstered by Zambian showstopper Barbra Banda. Morgan is set to move once her international clearance and work permit have been confirmed.
