Lisa Evans joins Bristol City. Photo Credit: Bristol City Women via Instagram.
Thursday evening brought an unexpected announcement for WSL fans as West Ham midfielder Lisa Evans departs the club by mutual consent to join Bristol City.
The 31 year old midfielder had a two-and-a-half year spell as a Hammer, including an initial loan spell from Arsenal. She has also played in the Scottish Women’s Premier League with Glasgow City, as well as a stint abroad for Bayern Munich. And Evans has plenty of trophies to show for it, including winning the SWPL, Frauen Bundesliga, WSL and FA Cup. She’s been an integral player not just for clubs but country too, with 103 appearances for Scotland and 17 goals during this time.
Evans will be a huge gain for Bristol City, where she has signed an 18 month deal lasting until June 2025. It was a perfect announcement video from the Robins, featuring a floating bubble get popped, alluding to the Scot’s previous club, as the camera then panned to Evans in the iconic red shirt, revealing their new number 22.
In an exclusive interview with Bristol City, Evans said that she wasn’t anticipating leaving West Ham in this transfer window, but was delighted and took the opportunity with both hands. The news was certainly unexpected, with Evans having been such an important player for the Hammers over the last few seasons, however she had not featured in their squad for the past few games.
The timing of Evans’ departure makes an exciting weekend in the WSL, as Bristol have confirmed that she will be available for the Robins as they take on West Ham this Sunday, It’s a relegation six-pointer, with both clubs sitting bottom of the table on five points, only goal difference separating the two. With the Reds and Clarets battling it out to stay in the top flight, it’s a game WSL fans will not want to miss.
Bristol have just returned to the WSL this season and will do everything they can to stay up. It’s not an easy task returning to the top flight, given the progression and competition of clubs in the Championship. West Ham have had a disappointing few seasons with revolving management, but have managed to steer clear of relegation so far. They’ve recruited well in this window, with midfielder Kristie Mewis joining from the NWSL, Shelina Zadorsky reuniting with old Spurs manager Rehanne Skinner and Australian international Katrina Gorry. However, it’s undeniable that Evans’ WSL experience will be a big loss.
Bristol City host West Ham today (Sunday 28th January) at 2pm, with the game being available to watch on FA player.
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