The London City Lionesses have existed for less than a decade, have played in England's top flight for just one season and can't play in the Champions League. Yet, having broken the women's transfer record last year, the Lionesses have signed some of the game's biggest stars for the coming season as their ambition becomes ever more apparent.
As well as two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas and her Spanish teammate Mapi Leon, England's Euro 2022 winning goalkeeper Mary Earps and French star Kadidiatou Diani, Germany winger Nicole Anyomi is among the new arrivals.
Anyomi left Eintracht Frankfurt, where she'd scored 50 goals in 101 Bundesliga games over five years, for what she considers a greater challenge in England.
The 'perfect step'
"The next step was to go to the league to compete every single weekend and this is what I see here in this league," she told DW.
"I have some friends who already played in the WSL (Women's Super League) and they told me about the league so I think this will be the perfect step for me."
Anyomi is one of several players to leave Germany's Women's Bundesliga for England this summer. Among them are Anyomi's international teammates Vivien Endemann (Wolfsburg to Liverpool), Selina Cerci (Hoffenheim to Arsenal), Carlotta Wamser (Bayer Leverkusen to Manchester City) and England's Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich to Arsenal).
Anyomi pointed to the increasing gap in infrastructure, finances and coaching as the primary reasons for the exodus.
"In Germany you have two, three teams who are competing at the top but here in England there are five, six, seven, eight teams.
"Also, the facilities and the staff members. We have 30-plus staff members here whereas in Frankfurt we had like seven or eight. You can learn from each person and there is something new to learn every day. I think that's how you develop as a player faster."
Germany falling further behind?
With England's national team having won the last two Euros, a competition once dominated by Germany, and no German side having won the Champions League since 2015, there is a concern that Germany rested on its laurels for too long.
In an effort to address this issue, last December, the Frauen-Bundesliga FBL e.V. (Women's Bundesliga Association) was formed. Similar to the DFL, which operates the men's Bundesliga, the FBL is designed to improve the league's marketing and increase revenue. It is to take over operation of the league next July 1.
"They have to bring something, not new, but something different into the league so maybe the players would stay," Anyomi said.
"I think it's an investment thing, but I think now they are building something new, to do different things. I'm going to see this season of course and watch the Bundesliga. I hope they are going to invest more, do more for the league so players also from abroad can come to Germany."
Her new club are the foremost example of the changing face of women's football. London City did not exist until 2019 when, effectively, they took over the license of another team, Milwall. Their progress has recently been accelerated by Michelle Kang.
The Korean-American businesswoman is a serial investor in women's football and added London City to an ownership portfolio that includes serial Champions League winners OL Lyonnes and US side Washington Spirit in December 2023. Kang's deep pockets and ambition mean London City are on track to compete at the top end of the WSL within the next few years.
Kang ownership presents possibility and prohibition
But her ownership of OL Lyonnes prohibits London City from playing in the Champions League. UEFA, who organize the tournament, have enshrined laws that mean clubs that are in multi-ownership structures cannot both be in the same competition in the same season. Last season, in the men's game, this led to English side Crystal Palace being demoted from the Europa League to the Europa Conference league.
"Why would we want to preserve the sporting integrity of men's football, but not of women's football? It's out of the question," said UEFA's head of women's football and former Germany international, Nadine Kessler earlier this year.
"In any sport you want to preserve sporting integrity, that's the most important thing."
Anyomi, who must recover from a hamstring injury before she can make her debut, said she trusts the club, who have so far "done everything they promised" to find a solution.
But the lack of continental football means fewer chances to make her mark alongside the other new arrivals. Given that the World Cup in Brazil is at the end of the coming season, the move could be seen by some as a risk.
"I did think about that because I know I have to play at the club level, otherwise I won't be selected," she said. "I wanted to go abroad two years ago and I didn't in the end, so I decided to go this summer. I had the feeling this is the right step."
Whether it's to London City, or to the WSL more broadly, she's not the only Bundesliga player to feel that way.
