Mary Earps, the fan-favorite goalkeeper for Manchester United in the Women’s Super League, has moved from talent representation agency Ignite Talent and has now signed a contract with A&V Sports.
Along with her fellow United goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Earps therefore joins prominent players like Lyon striker Ada Hegerberg, Chelsea-Australia forward Sam Kerr, and others.
This decision, as reported on 2 January 2024 by reporter Ben Jacobs, comes just ahead of what is anticipated to be a busy January transfer season.
With just six months left on her current contract, Earps—who was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December 2023 — now has a lot of options under her belt due to the tremendous success of her football career.
In addition to winning BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year, Sportswoman of the Year at the British Sports Journalism Awards, and England Women’s Player of the Year, Earps led an incredible run as an English international for both her club and her country.
Talking with clubs outside of the Women’s Super League is now entirely up to Earps, with The Daily Mail claiming that Paris Saint-Germain is considering the experienced goalkeeper for their roster.
Although Arsenal has also been mentioned, it is said that they have no plans to submit an offer in January. When she becomes available as a free agent in the summer, they plan to strike a deal directly with her.
Mary Earps has signed with A&V Sports. #AFC still want to sign her in either January or summer. A&V Sports also represent Sam Kerr, Ada Hegerberg and Catarina Macario.🧤 pic.twitter.com/aX9xo5hOlB
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) January 1, 2024
Future of Man Utd’s Women’s Team
The Red Devils signed Phallon Tullis-Joyce last summer, but given Earps’ uncertain status, they might possibly try to sign goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck of Manchester City.
This season, Roebuck struggled a lot playing for City. The previous year, she was the Citizens’ first-choice keeper, but she has since dropped in the rankings and is currently having trouble getting into games.
Despite United’s best efforts, Earps is determined to leave the team., and so, with her youth and potential to become an amazing goalkeeper, Roebuck might be signed by the Red Devils.
In 2022–2023, she participated in 17 Super League games and kept five clean sheets, and through New Year, she is aching for more playing time, which United might provide for her.
After Alessia Russo left United during the summer, Earps wanted to join Arsenal at the end of the previous season, but United was unwilling to trade her to the Gunners, even though they offered a £100,000 ($124,650) deal for the athlete.
What is the Women’s Super League?
The top division for women’s football in England is the Women’s Super League, also known as the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL), due to sponsorship reasons. It was founded in 2010 and is managed by the Football Association, with twelve top-tier teams competing at the highest level of women’s professional football.
With eight teams participating in the inaugural 2011 season, the league took the position of the FA Women’s Premier League National Division as the top division in women’s football in England. There was not a single relegation from the division in the first two seasons of the WSL.
For six years, from 2011 to 2016, the WSL did away with the winter football season and played all summer long (March through October). As was customary prior to 2011, the WSL began to operate again as a winter league from September to May 2017 to 18.
The Women’s Super League introduced a promotion and relegation system to the WSL and ran two divisions, FA WSL 1 and FA WSL 2, from 2014 to 2017–18. The second tier was renamed the FA Women’s Championship for the 2018–19 season.
The UEFA Women’s Champions League is the next tier, which is open for the WSL winners, runners-up, and third-placed teams from the following season. Chelsea, who won their sixth championship in the 2022–2023 season, is the current Women’s Super League champion.
