Manchester City Women make three deadline-day signings

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·1 February 2024

Manchester City Women make three deadline-day signings

Laura Blindkilde Brown. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Manchester City have signed Laura Blindkilde Brown from Aston Villa, Durham’s Poppy Pritchard and Tara O’Hanlon of Irish side Peamount United.

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All three join on three-and-a-half-year deals, England U-23 international Blindkilde Brown having made over 50 senior appearances for Villa and aged just 20.

Blindkilde Brown said: “I’m really excited to be here. It’s a big step in my career but I’m really excited to see what comes. It’s a new challenge for me. Obviously, I’ve been at Villa a lot of my career but it’s something new and I’ll be training with some of the best players in the world.”

Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Laura is an emerging talent. She is someone we have been monitoring for some time and have always been impressed whenever we’ve watched her play. I am looking forward to seeing her continue to flourish.”

Poppy Pritchard is an 18-year-old forward and England U-19 international, who scored on her debut against Denmark last September.

Poppy Pritchard. (Richard Callis / SPP)

Pritchard said: “I’m just really excited. It’s a great opportunity for a young player like me, so I just can’t wait to get started. I think the opportunities for a player my age to be playing in and around the best players in the world, is just such a great chance and a real good challenge for me.”

Gareth Taylor added: “Poppy is a very exciting young player. She is a specialist centre-forward with a profile of scoring goals and am looking forward to seeing what she can do.”

Tara O’Hanlon is an 18-year-old defender who made her Republic of Ireland debut against the USA last year.

Republic of Ireland’s Tara O’Hanlon (right) pressures USA’s Emily Fox. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

She said: “City’s playing style was a big consideration when choosing which club to go to. I really liked the team’s style of play and I think this is the best place for me to learn as much as I can and develop as a player.”

Gareth Taylor commented: “Tara is clearly someone who is hungry to learn and continuously improve, and she will undoubtedly have the opportunity to develop at City with the team she will have around her.”