Niamh Charles: 10 Things You Might Not Know | OneFootball

Find out more about our new signing after her move from Chelsea.

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Niamh Charles has become our second summer recruit after penning a three-year deal.

A versatile left-back, Charles follows fellow England international Beth Mead through the door at the Joie Stadium ahead of our defence of the WSL and FA Cup title.

Below are ten things you may or may not have known about Niamh…

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Wing command

Given her ability in attacking areas, it probably comes as little surprise to learn Charles actually started life as a winger.

She spent the first four years of her professional career on the flank at Liverpool, grabbing ten goals in just over 50 appearances as a teenage talent on Merseyside.

Her switch to full-back came when she moved to Chelsea in 2020.

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Leading by example

Niamh’s early years at Liverpool saw her rub shoulders with several familiar faces from a City perspective.

Her new captain, Alex Greenwood, was already part of that squad, as was Laura Coombs who signed on a permanent deal in 2017 after previously spending time on loan from Chelsea.

Charles also played alongside former City defender Gemma Bonner – now Liverpool’s record appearance holder – Natasha Harding and Caroline Weir during her time on Merseyside!

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Early Years

Like many young girls of her generation, Niamh’s first foray into football came when she played in a boys’ team.

She continued to be the only girl in her local side until the age of 14, when she was picked up by Liverpool’s youth setup.

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Debut

Niamh was just 16 when she made her professional debut for Liverpool in April 2016.

She came off the bench in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland in the Barclays Women’s Super League, with former City midfielders Caroline Weir and Laura Coombs grabbing Liverpool’s goals.

Coincidentally, fellow new recruit Beth Mead also lined up for Sunderland that day!

Picture Special

Gallery: Charles’ first day at City

Defensive duties

Our new recruit is one of the finest full-backs in world football, but she admits her switch to the position was initially due to an injury crisis at Chelsea.

“It kind of happened out of necessity in the first year because we had a few injuries,” she explained.

“In that time, I always trusted Emma [Hayes] but I think the way she develops younger players, I trusted her.

“There was a little bit of resistance of course and the girls gave me some ribbing of ‘oh you don’t want to go backwards’ but I think it suits me perfectly.

“I think the way it happened by necessity but then was gradual, it allowed me to learn the position and become confident with it.”

Trophies

Charles is no stranger to silverware, which should be an exciting prospect for City supporters heading into the 2026/27 campaign.

Despite still being just 27 years old, the full-back has already won 17 major honours for club and country in her career to date.

That includes five WSL titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and a Community Shield with Chelsea, plus one European Championship, one Women’s Finalissima and two Arnold Clark Cups with England.

2023/24

The Barclays Women’s Super League experienced one of its closest title battles in 2023/24, with City edged out on goal difference by Chelsea on the final day of the season.

Charles was a key figure for the Londoners that year, and her performances earned her a spot in the PFA WSL Team of the Season.

She was an ever-present for Chelsea in the WSL, grabbing two goals and six assists in the process.

England debut

Niamh made her England debut as a 21-year-old in a friendly against France in April 2021.

She came off the bench at half-time in a 3-1 defeat in Caen and has since gone on to feature 34 times for the Lionesses so far.

The player she was brought on for was none other than her new City team-mate, Alex Greenwood!

Pressure penalty

Our new number 21’s main focus is on keeping the ball out of the net, but she showed she could handle the pressure at the other end in perhaps the biggest moment of her career so far.

Indeed, Charles converted one of England’s three successful penalties in the Lionesses’ 3-1 shootout victory over Spain in the Euro 2025 final.

“You’re just in the moment, and it’s very much about going back to your processes,” she recalls.

“We trained a lot on it, because if I’d sat around thinking ‘this is the Euros final, I need to score this penalty’ it makes it harder.

“But in the moment, thankfully I was able to just go back to the processes. We had this saying of ‘just do your job’.

“Thankfully, it went in and I think you can tell in my reaction to the penalty that I was just so focused on doing it that I didn’t really celebrate that much.”

Student of the Game

Despite making a name for herself as an exciting teenage talent at Liverpool, our new signing juggled her demands as a professional footballer alongside academic studies.

The England international earned a first-class degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Liverpool John Moores University, graduating in 2020.

By that time, she’d already made just under 50 WSL appearances for Liverpool and was about to move to the reigning champions, Chelsea!