Lucy Bronze Says WSL Has The Edge For Europe's Best Players
lucy bronze says the Women’s Super League has the edge in the race for Europe’s best players, and she tied that view to the league’s steady rise and the recent pull it has had on Spanish talent. Her comments came before England face Spain in a Women’s World Cup qualifier, with both teams carrying real stakes into Group C.
Lucy Bronze and the WSL pull
“There has been a lot of players in Europe [moving], but I think it's been more recent with the Spanish players,” Bronze said ahead of the match. She added that the WSL “continues to improve each year” and called it “one of the biggest leagues in the world,” saying the competition is “incredible to be a part of.”
Bronze also pointed to the league’s draw at the top end. “The English league has that edge now where we're going to another level every single season, and the Lionesses' success has had a lot to do with that,” she said. That is the pitch the WSL is making to players who want high-level games, trophies and the chance to join clubs such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Spanish moves into England
The off-season has already produced a clear trend. Alexia Putellas is leaving Barcelona after 14 years and the London City Lionesses are among the favourites to sign her. Mapi Leon left Barcelona last month after nine years at the club, and the London City Lionesses reportedly have a verbal agreement in place with her.
Those moves follow other recent arrivals from Spain. Mariona Caldentey, Lucia Corrales and Jana Fernandez have already moved to the English league in recent years, giving Bronze’s point some weight beyond the rhetoric. The WSL has not just been talking itself up; it has been collecting names that were once firmly tied to Barcelona.
England, Spain and Group C
The timing matters because England and Spain are set to meet in a qualifier that could shape the road to the 2027 World Cup. England can qualify if they avoid defeat, while Spain can put themselves in the driving seat in Group C with a win by more than one goal. Only the top team qualifies automatically, and second place goes into a play-off.
Bronze’s rivalry line fit that backdrop too. England have won nine games against Spain this century across all competitions, and the Lionesses could become the first side to beat Spain home and away in a qualifying campaign for a major tournament since the Netherlands in a play-off tie ahead of Euro 2009. For England, a draw would be enough to move one step closer to a sixth consecutive tournament, after missing the finals in 1999 and 2003.
That leaves the WSL’s recruiting edge and England’s qualification push running on the same track. The league is trying to prove it can keep landing elite Europeans, while Bronze and the Lionesses have a result in Spain that could shape the rest of their campaign.
