England defender Esme Morgan has signed a four-year contract with the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Football League (NWSL) after leaving Manchester City.
The 22-year-old had one year left on his contract in England, but opted to move to the United States, and City received reimbursement for the move.
“I wanted to sign up for the Spirit because they have the ambition and the team to be the most productive team in the NWSL, and achieving that will be a wonderful but fun challenge,” Morgan said in a club statement. .
“Also from an individual point of view, the opportunity to work with Jonatan [Giráldez], one of the most successful coaches in the world, is really exciting and I hope to learn from him and strive to become the best player I can be. , helping the team succeed. “
Morgan has struggled to get consistent playing time under City manager Gareth Taylor. A source told ESPN that a lack of playing time is the reason she decided to leave the second position in the Women’s Super League (WSL), where she has spent her entire career. career.
The defender earned her first England call-up in 2020 but recently landed a regular spot on coach Sarina Wiegman’s squad lists. He missed most of the 2021-22 season with a leg injury, but won his first senior pick in October 2022. .
Since then, he has had no consistent minutes and an unused replacement at the 2023 World Cup. Due to the difficult festival in England’s defence, Morgan will need more normal playing time to ensure she is chosen for long-term teams.
Another driving force behind the move is the club’s recent appointment of Champions League-winning coach Jonatan Giráldez, who will leave Barcelona next week to become the Spirit’s new head coach.
Morgan will be eligible to enroll in the Spirit beginning July 15. With his new team, Morgan will face former WSL rivals and Arsenal when the Gunners take on Spirit in a pre-season friendly on August 18.
“Esme has exceptional ability and we are thrilled to include him in this Spirit roster,” said President of Football Operations Mark Krikorian.
“We hope that the good luck she has enjoyed in England translates well when she joins the most competitive league in women’s football. “
The Spirit had in the past acquired the NWSL’s allocated money in anticipation of new signings this summer, when new head coach Giráldez takes over in Washington after achieving a historic quadruple with Barca.
Washington received $250,000 in cash allotment, a mechanism that allows the team to spend outside the NWSL salary cap, in January as part of a draft industry that sent Ashley Sanchez to the North Carolina Courage.
The Spirit signed Colombian midfielder Leicy Santos in April.
Reporting by ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf contributed to this report.