Manchester City Sign Carlotta Wamser to Boost Defence
Manchester City have moved again in the transfer market, completing the signing of Germany international full-back Carlotta Wamser from Bayer Leverkusen on a four-year deal.
The 22-year-old, comfortable on both the left and right side of defence, becomes City’s third major arrival of the summer, following defender Niamh Charles from Chelsea and forward Beth Mead from Arsenal. It is a clear statement from the WSL champions just days before they begin their title defence at home to Birmingham City on Sunday.
Versatile defender for an injury-hit back line
City’s timing is no accident. Charles is among a growing list of injury absentees that also includes Grace Clinton, Vivianne Miedema, Jade Rose and Laura Wienroither. Depth at full-back had turned from a luxury into a necessity.
Wamser steps straight into that gap. She joined Leverkusen from Eintracht Frankfurt on a free transfer in July 2025 and has since built a reputation in Germany as a modern full-back: energetic, aggressive, and capable on either flank. For a City side that demands its defenders contribute in possession as much as out of it, her profile fits.
She already has 14 senior caps for Germany, having progressed through every rung of the national youth ladder. Her breakthrough moment came in 2019, when she helped Germany win the Under-17 European Championship, marking her out as one to watch long before this move.
“The perfect step” for Wamser
Wamser spoke with the conviction of a player who knows exactly why she is here.
“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, outlining both her comfort and her ambition in one breath.
For her, the attraction is obvious.
“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 player in her early twenties, already capped, already tested in the Frauen-Bundesliga, choosing City for the next phase of her development: it fits the club’s recent pattern of building a squad that can compete now and dominate later.
City’s project, restated
City director of football Therese Sjogran made no attempt to hide the club’s satisfaction at getting the deal done.
“We are delighted to welcome Carlotta to the club,” she 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.”
That message is hard to miss. With Mead adding firepower, Charles reinforcing the defence when fit, and now Wamser arriving to plug an immediate gap and grow into a long-term role, City are not standing still after lifting the WSL trophy.
The champions open against Birmingham City on Sunday. Injuries have complicated their preparations, but with Wamser through the door and eager for the “next step”, the real question is how quickly she turns from new signing into a key pillar of a side intent on staying at the top.
