Manchester Metropolis have confirmed the signing of England worldwide Grace Clinton from rivals Manchester United.
Clinton had entered the ultimate yr of her contract at United and the membership reluctantly accepted a suggestion from Metropolis on Wednesday to keep away from shedding the midfielder at no cost subsequent summer season.
United misplaced Alessia Russo, Ona Batlle and Mary Earps throughout current years resulting from expiring contracts.
Clinton might make her Man Metropolis debut on Friday because the membership start their WSL marketing campaign away to Chelsea, dwell on Sky Sports activities.
Dwell WSL
Dwell WSL
Friday fifth September 6:30pm
Earlier on WSL Deadline Day, Clinton’s England team-mate Jess Park moved the other approach throughout Manchester, becoming a member of United from Metropolis on a four-year deal.
Clinton, 22, turns into Metropolis’s sixth summer season signing, becoming a member of Jade Rose, Iman Beney, Sydney Lohmann, Eartha Cumings and Laura Wienroither in shifting to the Joie Stadium.
Having begun her skilled profession at Everton and breaking into the Toffees’ first group as a 17-year-old, Clinton moved to Manchester United in 2022.
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Check out one of the best of Grace Clinton’s objectives and assists within the Girls’s Tremendous League season!
Mortgage spells at Bristol Metropolis and Tottenham Hotspur adopted within the subsequent two campaigns, together with her performances on the latter seeing her named PFA Girls’s Younger Participant of the 12 months for 2023-24.
Returning to United for the 2024-25 marketing campaign, Clinton featured 28 instances in all competitions, with Elisabeth Terland the one participant to raised her 9 objectives.
Having been an everyday for the Younger Lionesses at from the Underneath-17s by way of to the Underneath-23s group, Clinton obtained her first senior England call-up in February 2024 – that includes, and scoring, in a 7-2 victory over Austria.
Then got here the historic 2025 European Championships this summer season the place she was a reliable member of the Lionesses aspect who grew to become the primary England senior group to win a significant honour on overseas soil.
Clinton stated: “City, for me, have always played an amazing style of football. There are amazing players here. Hemp, Bunny, Miedema, Hasegawa are just a few of them and I want to get better and grow and learn things in my career and I think there are amazing people here to learn things from.
“To play this fashion of soccer might be actually gratifying.”
Clinton had earlier sent a parting shot to Man Utd with her goodbye message to the club on Instagram.
She added: “I really feel the way forward for the membership and I aren’t on the identical web page. For me personally, the following step is about progress, I wish to proceed to develop and study.”
Manchester Metropolis Girls director of soccer Therese Sjogran added: “We’re really pleased to have been able to bring Grace to Manchester City – she’s a player we have admired for a while now.
“She remains to be a younger participant however already has a whole lot of expertise beneath her belt, and we consider she’s going to slot in seamlessly with our fashion of play and add to the proficient squad we have already got.
“We’re very much looking forward to working with Grace over the coming seasons and seeing her make her mark in a Manchester City shirt.”
Why have the 2 Manchester golf equipment achieved enterprise?
Grace Clinton has joined Man Metropolis from Man Utd (image courtesy of Man Metropolis)
Sky Sports activities Information’ Anton Toloui:
“Grace Clinton has been Manchester City’s biggest target all summer. They wanted to try and get a deal done before the Euros, but it all went quiet. Obviously, towards the end of the window, interest in the box-to-box specialist that City have wanted all window has ramped up again.
“From Man Utd’s perspective, they may not afford a repeat of the errors they made with Alessia Russo, Mary Earps, and Ona Batlle previously. That meant they needed to have interaction in a possible deal, however provided that Jess Park moved within the different course.
“We’ve seen players move between the Manchester clubs before but only really as much younger players.
“Ella Toone left Manchester Metropolis when she was simply rising as a younger skilled to go to Manchester United, and there may be additionally Alex Greenwood, who has really performed for all 4 of the North West golf equipment.
“So it’s maybe not as controversial, but as the rivalry gets bigger – these are the two teams that finished third and fourth last year – the competition for the best talent will only grow.”
Sky Sports activities is the house of the WSL – what’s new this season?
As a part of Sky’s new bumper rights partnership with the Girls’s Tremendous League, Sky Sports activities will broadcast 118 matches from the WSL each season, up greater than thrice from the variety of video games beforehand proven with 78 fixtures proven completely.
Sky Sports activities will rejoice a landmark WSL season with a brand new flagship programme devoted to Sunday lunchtime kick-offs.
The present will provide a 60-minute build-up from 11am, that includes the most recent breaking information from each floor, plus extra behind-the-scenes content material than ever earlier than.
The Sky Sports activities app additionally makes it simpler than ever to observe the motion on cell with vertical video highlights, match centres full of scores and stats accessible for FREE to all followers, plus dwell streams for Sky Sports activities prospects.
Free-to-watch match highlights from EVERY WSL sport will proceed to be served up on the Sky Sports activities web site and App.
