Leanne Kiernan Joins Newcastle United from Liverpool
Leanne Kiernan has swapped Anfield for Tyneside, leaving Liverpool to join Newcastle United in the Women’s Championship for an undisclosed fee, in a move that underlines the ambition of the newly promoted Magpies.
The 27-year-old Republic of Ireland striker arrives with a proven record and a point to prove. Across three seasons at Liverpool, Kiernan scored 23 goals in 76 appearances in all competitions after signing from West Ham in the summer of 2021. Her most telling contribution came in 2021-22, when she fired Liverpool back into the top flight as champions, finishing as the club’s leading league scorer with 13 goals.
That promotion campaign showcased the version of Kiernan Newcastle believe they are getting: quick, direct, relentless in her running in behind. She summed herself up simply: “I would say I’m a quick attacker in behind, so I feel like I can bring my strengths and hopefully score loads of goal to help the team out.”
The last year has been more fragmented. Kiernan spent the second half of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest in WSL2, searching for rhythm and regular minutes. Now comes the reset. “I’m really excited. I’m looking forward to a fresh start and meeting the fans,” she said. “It was a dream of mine to come and play professionally and to go to a club like Newcastle, it really felt right when the contact came in.”
For Newcastle, this is a statement signing. Manager Tanya Oxtoby made no attempt to play it down. “Leanne brings a wealth of experience from the WSL, WSL2, and her national team to our squad and has shown in all those experiences the quality that she has,” she said. Oxtoby has built a side on intensity and front-foot football, and Kiernan fits that blueprint. “She adds versatility to the forward line, with her pace and intelligent movement making her a threat in the way we want to play. We are looking forward to what she will bring to our squad.”
Kiernan already carries significant international pedigree. With 38 caps for Ireland, she has operated at a level Newcastle are striving to reach and stay in. The challenge now is consistency: to turn flashes of promise and past promotion heroics into a sustained spell as a mainstay in England.
Newcastle are banking on her speed, experience and hunger aligning at just the right moment. If they do, this won’t just be a fresh start for Kiernan. It could be a defining signing for a club intent on climbing the women’s game far quicker than most expected.
