Gotham FC signs Ireland international midfielder Denise O'Sullivan | OneFootball

After the signing of Sam Kerr at the beginning of July, NJ/NY Gotham FC is adding another international in Irish midfielder Denise O'Sullivan. The 32-year-old is signing with the Bats on a one-year loan deal from Liverpool F.C. Women "with an obligation for a permanent transfer." It is believed that the contract will run through 2029 with an option for 2030, but that was not confirmed by the club. She is expected to be available for selection for Wednesday's Queens Classic against the Washington Spirit.

Per ESPN, the fee Gotham will pay Liverpool on the expiry of her loan will be €350k, or nearly $400k. This is reportedly the same amount Liverpool paid to acquire her from the North Carolina Courage. She spent just six months with the WSL side, so fans will know O'Sullivan for her 10 seasons in the NWSL.

The midfielder spent two seasons with the Houston Dash before being picked up on waivers by the Courage, where she spent eight seasons. Three of those years, she was the captain, and during those eight campaigns, she won two NWSL Championships, three Shields, and two Challenge Cups. In her six months with Liverpool, she scored four goals in 13 matches.

O'Sullivan will take up Gotham's fifth international roster spot, leaving them with just one remaining for the season. Her addition to the roster means they have one spot left in total, which is expected to be filled by midfielder Taryn Torres when she comes off the SEI list later this season. The Irish player will also take the number 5 shirt, previously worn last season by Josefine Hasbo.

How does Denise O'Sullivan fit at Gotham FC?

O'Sullivan brings even more championship-winning pedigree to a Gotham FC roster that already had that in abundance. Despite winning last season's NWSL Championship, it is pretty clear that the club isn't resting on their laurels and is doing everything they can to add to an already impressive squad.

From a quality standpoint, O'Sullivan is more than capable of stepping right into this team's Starting XI right away. That being said, there might need to be a bedding-in period for her before fans see her in the starting lineup. There is a pretty good chance she will make her debut in Wednesday's Queens Classic, but that will most likely come as a substitute appearance off the bench.

As for where she will play, she adds depth to an area that is pretty thin for Gotham. For all of the talk about defensive depth and needing more, the NJ/NY side is now in a more comfortable position in that regard with both Mandy Freeman and Bruninha back from injury. One area that has been less talked about is the midfield. This is mainly down to Gotham being very lucky with regard to injuries for their midfielders over the last 18 months.

Despite still missing a few games from time to time, this is the healthiest Rose Lavelle has been over an extended period for arguably the entirety of her career. Other than that, there have not been any serious injury concerns for their midfielders. Jaelin Howell, despite injury issues earlier in her career, played the most minutes in a season in her career in 2025 and is currently on pace to eclipse that this season. The same can be said for her midfield partner, Savannah McCaskill, who is on pace to play the most minutes in a season for her career.

And that's where this signing becomes crucial. Howell and McCaskill have played more minutes than any other Gotham player in 2026, even more than Ann-Katrin Berger. The club obviously realized that if one of those two were to suffer some injury that keeps them out for multiple games, then that could cause some serious problems, given they didn't have a natural backup for that position. Yes, Sofia Cook could play a deeper midfield role, but she's a very different type of player to those two and would require a change in system.

Emily Sonnett can play as a defensive midfielder, too, and is pretty similar to Howell and McCaskill, but moving her to midfield would require a reshuffling of the backline. Given how well the backline has played this season, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós may be hesitant to move Sonnett from the defense to the midfield.

Hence, O'Sullivan is a perfect addition to the midfield as it gives them a third option in that defensive midfield position without any real drop in quality.

The newest player is also similar to both Howell and McCaskill in terms of her defensive ability and work rate. At the same time, she is a better passer than both of them. While they have improved in this regard, Gotham struggled at the beginning of the season to progress the ball into the attacking third despite consistently winning the ball higher up the field than the vast majority of teams in the NWSL.

Adding a better passing option in the midfield with the signing of O'Sullivan, who doesn't sacrifice much in the defensive phase of the game, will be huge for Gotham FC in breaking down teams that play in a low block.