What does Alexia Putellas’ arrival mean for the WSL? | OneFootball

London City Lionesses have confirmed the signing of two-time Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Alexia Putellas.

The 32-year-old’s move to London City Lionesses is another significant milestone for the growth of women’s football in England, but also serves to emphasise the growing influence of ambitious multi-club ownership models in women’s football.

One of the most decorated players in the history of the women’s game choosing to live the next chapter of her illustrious career in the Barclays Women’s Super League should be celebrated, and will almost certainly boost ticket sales across the league in 2026/27 after a season that saw Arsenal’s home fixtures at the Emirates Stadium account for a staggering 41.2% of the WSL’s total attendance figures.

The club reference that too, noting in a press release that “Putellas’ arrival is expected to drive significant growth in fan engagement and attendance, both for the club and across the WSL”.

It’s also indicative of just how quickly the women’s football landscape in England is changing. Just a year ago, London City Lionesses had never played a top-flight game. Now, they boast a two-time Ballon d’Or Féminin winner who also happens to be a serial winner, both domestically and in Europe.

But while the plan is evidently to turn the Bromley-based side into a powerhouse consistently challenging on the European stage, they may hit a bump in the road given that UEFA’s Head of Women’s Football, Nadine Kessler, confirmed in May that multi-club ownership will be banned in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.

She said that the decision comes as the sport’s European governing body strives to preserve “sporting integrity”, and added that “the evolution of multi-club owners and women’s football […] obviously invests a lot into the game, which is also important but at the same time, when it comes to playing in one football competition, there will be no different approach or no exceptions.”

Article 5 of the UEFA Women’s Champions League regulations confirm that no individual or entity can be “involved in any capacity” or have “any power whatsoever” over the “management, administration and/or sporting performance” of more than one club in the competition at any given time.

Putellas’ arrival in Bromley will undoubtedly spark controversy, as multi-club ownership structures have provoked strong discourse in the men’s game. The women’s game needs investment, sure, but whether billionaire owners are the right way to go about it is a topic up for debate.

The City Football Group is perhaps the most prominent example of a multi-club group, although Crystal Palace were demoted to the UEFA Conference League last season after co-owner John Textor was found to also hold shares in Olympique Lyonnais.

Kang’s Kynisca Group isn’t the only multi-club ownership structure in the women’s game, though.

Mercury13 own Como Women in Serie A as well as Liga F’s Badalona Women and Bristol City in the WSL 2, while Crux Sports’ portfolio includes Sweden’s FC Rosengard and France’s Montpellier. Bay FC’s owners, the Bay Collective, also completed a takeover of Sunderland’s women’s team in June.

Kynisca-backed London City Lionesses are also investing heavily in their facilities, with the club’s ‘new state-of-the-art training centre designed specifically for female athletes’ set to open soon. Putellas’ arrival, as per a press release issued by the club, will also “strengthen the club’s academy and youth development programmes through world-class mentorship and inspiration”.