PSG move finally offers Lionesses hero Mary Earps the chance to win regular silverware as Man Utd left exposed: Footballblogzz grades the biggest deals from the 2024 women’s summer transfer window

For Man Utd: The only positive that can be drawn from this situation for the Red Devils is that, in Phallon Tullis-Joyce, they signed a fantastic goalkeeper last summer who can step into the void left by Earps and prove herself. Otherwise, it’s an incredibly avoidable situation that they find themselves in, bidding farewell to a world-class shot-stopper. The club’s weakness in contract negotiations has been exposed again, these having dragged on for over 18 months before Earps’ decision to eventually depart. It’s another loss of a key player on a free transfer, too, and perhaps not the last this summer. Grade: F

For PSG: In truth, the Parisians didn’t desperately need to add another goalkeeper to an already competitive group. However, when someone of Earps’ calibre comes onto the market, and for free, why would a top team not explore such a possibility? The England star will add tons of experience as PSG continue their quest of closing the gap to a dominant Lyon side, as well as quality in between the sticks. It wasn’t an absolutely necessary deal, but it improves them. Grade: B

For Earps: Finally, the 31-year-old is going to get the chance to challenge for top club honours on a regular basis as, one would assume, first-choice goalkeeper. Earps had a taste of that as a back-up at Wolfsburg and there have been positive glimpses at United, not least the FA Cup trophy she departs England having just won. However, though Lyon are France’s dominant force, joining PSG is a step up to a regular title-chasing side that plays Champions League football every year. That’s what she deserves at this point in her career, and she’s got a bumper deal to boot. Grade: B+

For Wolfsburg: How can it not be a concern for Wolfsburg to see one of their star players join their biggest rivals on a free transfer? Only a year on from the She-Wolves being in the Champions League final, they’ve lost their midfield lynchpin, in Oberdorf, and one of the best No.9s in the game, in new Barcelona signing Ewa Pajor. How they respond to these departures will be crucial if they are to remain among Europe’s elite. Grade: F

For Bayern Munich: Talk about asserting your authority. That Bayern have been able to lure Oberdorf to the other side of this German rivalry says a lot about their ambition and project. Last season was a slightly disappointing one for the Munich club. Yes, they won the league, but they crashed out in the Champions League group stages and never really showed up against Wolfsburg in the DFB Pokal final. Adding someone of Oberdorf’s calibre is a positive step towards enhancing their status in the game and picking up more silverware. Grade: A

For Oberdorf: Upon the announcement of this deal, Oberdorf said that Bayern had shown her where her “potential lies” and “what they can still get out of me”. It’s clear that, at 22 years old, she sees this transfer as one which can help her take even further steps forward. From a team perspective, the back-to-back German champions are certainly in a stronger position than Wolfsburg right now and a signing like Oberdorf can help to maintain that gap. It’s not an incredible step up for the Germany star, but it’s a new challenge for her to get stuck into and an exciting project for her to join. Grade: B

For Man City: A few months ago, City would’ve got a better grade for this deal. They started the season with three top goalkeepers competing for one spot, settled on teen sensation Khiara Keating as No.1, Lioness-turned-Scotland star Sandy MacIver as back-up and often left Roebuck out of matchday squads. Letting her go, then, made sense for all parties. However, the ACL injury MacIver suffered in April has suddenly left them with just one shot-stopper available. Overall, it’s a deal that is not great for them nor terrible, but they will need to recruit another goalkeeper in this window. Grade: C

For Barcelona: Getting someone as talented as Roebuck on a free transfer feels like an easy win for Barca. The Catalans needed to bolster this position following the departure of Sandra Panos and they needed their new signing to be someone who could compete for the No.1 shirt, rather than just acting as back-up. Cata Coll might’ve been Spain’s first-choice goalkeeper as they won the World Cup last summer, but she’s still quite inexperienced and hasn’t been a regular starter for Barca in a full season yet. Roebuck adds eight years of first-team experience and has the potential to get even better, at just 24 years old. She’ll ensure the goalkeeper department remains very competitive in Catalunya and will be itching to prove herself to get back into the England fold. Grade: A

For Roebuck: It’s been such a tough year for the England goalkeeper. Having found herself out-of-favour for the first time in eight years at City, she dropped out of the Lionesses squad and then revealed the awful news that she had suffered a type of stroke. But she’s worked incredibly hard to get back to a place where she’s secured a move like this. Barca are the reigning European champions so to play for them will be an honour, and the goalkeeper situation at the club is one which she can stake a claim for regular game time at that top level. She has work to do to return to her best level after this past season, but Roebuck is still extremely talented and she can remind everyone of that with Barca. Grade: A

For Wolfsburg: The only thing that makes this a good deal for Wolfsburg is that they collected a bumper fee of somewhere around €500,000 (£423,000/$536,000) for Pajor. Otherwise, it’s another really worrying departure following that of Oberdorf. Wolfsburg have never had the same finances as others among Europe’s elite, but it’d be naive not to be concerned that these recent deals are a sign of them being left behind. Grade: D-

For Barcelona: After the departure of Asisat Oshoala, and arguably even before that, Barcelona have needed to add a prolific No.9 to their already-stacked squad. Pajor is the perfect fit. While she hasn’t come cheap (though reports suggest Barca may have been able to pay a lower fee than her release clause), she will be worth every penny because she is proven at the very highest level. It’s hard to imagine this transfer not being a success. Grade: A

For Pajor: Is this the move that paves the way for Pajor to get the credit she deserves? Despite scoring 136 goals in 196 games for Wolfsburg, the 27-year-old has often flown under the radar when it comes to discussing the best No.9s in the women’s game. A move to Catalunya, however, could change that. More importantly to the player, it could lead to her first European title after she collected four runners-up medals in Germany. Having spent her last season at Wolfsburg playing out of position at times as Tommy Stroot tried to accommodate both her and Alex Popp, that Pajor will consistently be Barca’s centre-forward and receiving service from the likes of Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas and Caroline Graham Hansen will sound like heaven. Grade: A

For Man City: This is a deal that made sense for all parties, and that includes City. Morgan is a real success story from the club’s youth set-up, breaking through as a teenager before becoming a regular starter, but she struggled for game-time last season despite City not always having a perfectly settled back four. For them to get a fee for an out-of-favour player who is out of contract next summer is good business, then. The only way that outlook could change is if the rumours of an exit for Laia Alexiandri, one of those who played ahead of Morgan in a few positions, prove to be true. Grade: A

For Washington Spirit: The Spirit has one of the best defensive records in the NWSL in 2024 and the addition of Morgan will only help to maintain, if not improve, that fact. Her ability to play anywhere across the backline is a huge asset to add depth to the squad and, despite being only 23 years old, she brings experience from club level and internationally, having been part of the England squad that reached the World Cup final. She’ll need to get up to speed after a lack of game time, though, and adapt to a very different league in the NWSL. Grade: B-

For Morgan: It will have surely been hard for Morgan to come to the conclusion that leaving City was the best thing for her career at this point. The defender grew up as a fan of the club, came through the youth set-up and then realised her dream of playing for and winning trophies with the Cityzens. However, a lack of minutes has left her spot in the Lionesses’ squad in jeopardy and it made sense to act now, rather than wait for her to drop out of the picture if things didn’t improve. Morgan has traits that suit the NWSL, she has the versatility to be an asset for the Spirit and she could really kick on in the U.S., signing a four-year deal. Grade: A