London City sign six-time Champions League winner Delphine Cascarino | London City Lionesses

London Metropolis Lionesses have signed the France winger Delphine Cascarino on a three-and-a-half-year deal, the Girls’s Tremendous League newcomers persevering with their eye-catching recruitment drive by buying one other extremely rated worldwide.

The 28-year-old Cascarino gained six Champions League titles with OL Lyonnes. Her most up-to-date membership was the NWSL aspect San Diego Wave, with whom she parted methods on Sunday by mutual settlement, having wished to maneuver again nearer to house.

Cascarino scored seven instances in 34 video games for San Diego after becoming a member of in the summertime of 2024, and helped them to win the second version of the World Sevens Soccer match in December – however it’s her time with OL Lyonnes that constructed her popularity. She was additionally one among France’s prime performers on the European Championship in Switzerland final summer time and has 86 caps.

“London Metropolis is the one impartial ladies’s membership within the WSL, which excites me,” Cascarino advised the membership’s web site. “England – for women and men – is the nation of soccer. It’s all the time been a aim of mine to play on this league. I need to play within the Champions League right here at London Metropolis and win many trophies.”

Daniëlle van de Donk mentioned she had “by no means been extra happy with myself” having recovering from a chronic knee harm to make her long-awaited debut for London Metropolis on the weekend, seven months after signing.

Van de Donk had not performed since beginning her nation’s last group match towards France at Euro 2025 in July, a month after agreeing to hitch London Metropolis, newly promoted to the WSL, from OL Lyonnes. The 34-year-old former Arsenal participant got here on as a second-half substitute in London Metropolis’s 1-0 win at Sunderland within the Girls’s FA Cup fourth spherical on Saturday, permitting her to lastly put months of frustration behind her.

“I’ve by no means been extra happy with myself,” Van de Donk mentioned. “Nobody actually is aware of what occurred as a result of that was my selection, however I had many setbacks and it wasn’t straightforward in any respect. However I’m much more proud and completely happy to be again.

“I actually need to be on the pitch. Earlier than [signing for the club] I used to be very a lot in debate if I might proceed taking part in soccer after which this chance got here across the nook and I used to be like: ‘OK, properly, I can go 100% for that but it surely’s going to be very laborious with my physique to have the ability to do something.’ However sure, I don’t know, it’s similar to resilience or one thing.”

Victory on the Eppleton Colliery Welfare Floor was London Metropolis’s first beneath their new head coach, Eder Maestre. Talking about Van de Donk’s return, he mentioned: “I like seeing her having fun with taking part in soccer once more. She could be very proficient with a lot of expertise and this [her debut] is like one other win.”

The midfielder was taking part in within the FA Cup almost 10 years after profitable the competitors with Arsenal and 5 years after leaving the membership in an effort to transfer to France, the place she went on to win the Champions League in 2022. “It [her London City debut] was tremendous particular,” Van de Donk mentioned. “As quickly as [I was] on the pitch, I’m simply so completely happy.”

London Metropolis are seventh within the WSL after a goalless draw at Liverpool in Maestre’s first recreation in cost this month. Requested about her hopes for the second half of the marketing campaign, Van de Donk mentioned: “I really feel like we’re a part of a constructing staff, and particularly now we’re rebuilding once more with a brand new coach, so we’re attempting to adapt to his taking part in type and attempting to study from that. We simply need to proceed with what we’ve proven right this moment and get higher and higher every recreation.”