Manchester City Women have completed the signing of Barcelona Femeni left-back Leila Ouahabi as their summer rebuild continues.
Having lost record goalscorer Georgia Stanway, former FIFA Best Player of the year Lucy Bronze, and two-time Puskas Award nominee Caroline Weir, City are having to replace some key players this summer. Back-up goalkeepers Karima Taieb and Karen Bardsley have also left, while long-serving midfielder Jill Scott is another to depart.
So far, City have replaced Stanway with Atletico Madrid forward Deyna Castellanos, and now left-back Ouahabi arrives on a two-year deal to compete with Demi Stokes at left-back.
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Ouahabi, 29, has spent all but three seasons of her career at Barcelona, who won the Primera Division last season and also reached a second-successive Champions League final, having won the competition in 2021.
She is approaching 50 caps for Spain, and has 18 career trophies to date, and is targeting more silverware after making the move to the Women's Super League.
She said: “I am very happy. I was looking forward to this moment and I am really happy now it is all done. Manchester City have always been a team that caught my eye. I like their style of football so much and the DNA of the Club is very exciting.
“This is going to be a completely different experience for me, and I’m really looking forward to it. I want to continue enjoying my football and City are a strong Club. Both personally and professionally, I think I will grow and develop here. I also want to keep winning trophies. I like winning and being competitive, and I am coming here to win trophies for City.”
City boss Gareth Taylor added that Ouahabi's record of winning trophies was a big factor in why City were so keen to sign her. He said: “Leila is a player who has become accustomed to success throughout her career, and we’re thrilled that she has joined us in a bid to continue that here in England.
“She has a vast amount of experience in high-pressured situations and will give everything she has to win, which matches our own ethos perfectly. She is a player who we have admired for a long time given her standing in the game and to finally have secured her signature is incredibly exciting. We’re very much looking forward to seeing her make her mark on the English game.”
City are expected to continue their recruitment drive in the coming weeks with a number of new signings.
