Manchester City Sign Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen
Manchester City have moved again in the summer market, sealing the signing of Germany full-back Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year deal.
The 22-year-old, comfortable on either flank, becomes City's third major arrival of the window, following defender Niamh Charles from Chelsea and forward Beth Mead from Arsenal. This is not a cosmetic addition. It is a signing shaped by need.
Cover for a bruised champions’ squad
City begin their WSL title defence at home to Birmingham City on Sunday with an injury list that reads like the core of a starting XI. Charles is sidelined, joined by Grace Clinton, Vivianne Miedema, Jade Rose and Laura Wienroither. The depth that powered last season’s charge has been tested before a ball is kicked.
So Wamser walks into a squad that requires more than rotation options. She brings energy, versatility and a proven resilience from the Bundesliga and the international stage.
Wamser joined Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in July 2025 and quickly grew into one of the league’s most reliable young full-backs. Now she swaps Germany for Manchester, and she does so with a clear sense of purpose.
“I had a perfect welcome here and I already feel very good here and I look forward to my time here in Manchester,” she said after completing the move. “The English league is the best league in the world and Manchester City is one of the best clubs in the world.
“I feel like I need the next step for my career and I feel that I can develop as a player here. And I like the challenge as well, so I think it's the perfect step for me right now.”
A rising international with pedigree
Wamser already has 14 senior caps for Germany, having climbed through every rung of the country’s youth system. She was part of the Under-17 European Championship-winning side in 2019, a generation Germany expect to anchor the national team for years.
City’s recruitment team have clearly tracked that rise. Director of football Therese Sjogran made no attempt to hide the club’s long-term interest.
“We are delighted to welcome Carlotta to the club,” Sjogran said. “She is a player we've admired for some time and know she will bring energy, passion and a willingness to learn to the team.
“For such a young, exciting talent to trust us with the next step of her career is something we feel conveys a strong message of what we are building here.”
The message is unmistakable. City are not simply topping up a title-winning squad; they are reshaping the edges of it with players who can grow into the next cycle.
As the champions prepare to walk out against Birmingham, injuries have forced early questions about their depth and durability. Wamser’s answer will come not in words, but in the way she patrols those touchlines when the whistle goes and the title defence truly begins.
