Manchester Metropolis have confirmed the arrival of a second new goalkeeper this summer time, with six-time Japanese top-flight winner Ayaka Yamashita signing a three-year contract.
The 28-year-old joins the Cityzens from WE League facet INAC Kobe Leonessa, and turns into the membership’s third Japanese signing this switch window thus far, becoming a member of Risa Shimizu and Aoba Fujino.
Yamashita arrives in England having loved a vastly illustrious spell in her residence nation, with 74 senior worldwide caps to her title and 17 main honours.
Speaking about what she needs to attain at Metropolis, she stated: “I’ve gained varied trophies in Asia, however to degree up myself, I felt the necessity to tackle a problem. It’s a well-known membership that everybody is aware of, and even now, it feels unbelievable to me.”
Yamashita will put on the quantity 31 shirt and turns into the primary ladies’s participant to take action, since Metropolis’s skilled relaunch in 2014.
“Final season was actually shut [for City], I believed that whereas watching the video games from Japan,” she added. “I need to help the staff in successful titles and contribute to the staff.”
Metropolis’s managing director, Charlotte O’Neill added: “It’s been a pleasure watching [Yamashita] on the world stage throughout her second Olympics these previous couple of weeks, and as we proceed to evolve, having a participant with attributes like [hers] will assist us problem for honours for years to come back.”
Yamashita’s arrival comes simply 4 days after Metropolis introduced they’d onboarded England youth goalkeeper Eve Annets, from Studying following their withdrawal from the Championship.
The membership now boasts a number of 4 high-performing goalkeepers forward of the 2024/25 marketing campaign, the place they’re hungry for achievement after shedding out to Chelsea on purpose distinction final season.
Yamashita and Annets will sit alongside the Girls’s Tremendous League’s most up-to-date Golden Glove winner Khiara Keating. They’re each a lot wanted additions following Scotland worldwide Sandy MacIver’s harm and the departure of Ellie Roebuck to Barcelona.
