Melissa Lawley has swapped the red half of Merseyside for the blue, signing with Everton after her contract at Liverpool expired.
The Toffees confirmed via their official website on 25 July that the 30-year-old winger, who also has 12 England caps, has signed a contract with the club after her departure from Liverpool last month.
Lawley has previously played for Arsenal, Bristol City, Birmingham and Manchester City, and becomes the Blues’ newest signing following five years with their bitters Merseyside rivals.
The Blues finished four places and 18 points behind their city rivals in last season’s Women’s Super League, and will hope the arrival of Lawley can help to propel them up the table in the coming campaign.
Everton Women make big statement with Melissa Lawley signing
Despite not being a native Liverpudlian, Kidderminster-born Lawley has still chosen a path few players would dare to tread, by swapping the red half of Merseyside for the blue this summer.
Merseyside derby matches are just as fierce regardless of who is on the pitch for either team, and following five years playing for Liverpool, Lawley will know all too well how high the stakes are.
The Toffees won 1-0 in last season’s first meeting between the two sides at Anfield before a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park, and such stages for WSL matches show that these derbies are not for the faint-hearted.
Lawley’s further experience of winning the Women’s FA Cup while at Manchester City will also be helpful as the Toffees look to mount cup runs next season, another way of putting on big matches at Goodison.
The main hope in the minds of Blues fans will be making Liverpool regret releasing their 30-year-old winger to a side just down the road, and with the season’s first derby set for November, Lawley has plenty of time to get accustomed to her new surroundings.
