London City Lionesses have signed Italian defender, Elena Linari from AS Roma for an undisclosed fee.
Linari’s move to the Copperjax Community Stadium comes after a successful UEFA Women’s Euro which saw her help Italy reach the semi-finals for the first time since 1997, although they eventually lost to now two-time defending champions, England in extra time.
Her performances also earned a place in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament to cap a positive month for the 31-year-old.
Linari is excited to be making her third move outside of Italy after spells at Atletico Madrid and Bordeaux as she praised the facilities and environment for the Lionesses’ first Women’s Super League campaign.
“Everything is so amazing here, everyone is so welcoming and everything is so professional.
“Director of Football, Ronald Thompson added: “Elena is a modern centre back who combines old school values with intelligence.”She is good in the air and strong in the tackle, when necessary.
“Her ability to read the game as it develops is key to her game. This will be key in our first season in the WSL.”
Linari began her senior career with Firenze with eight goals in 107 appearances between 2008-13 before she moved to Brescia, which saw her manage four goals in 90 appearances over three seasons.
Summer 2016 saw her switch to Fiorentina in her best spell at a single club as she contributed 13 goals in 56 appearances across two seasons, which saw her secure a move to Spain’s Atletico Madrid in 2019 in a two-season stint which yielded one goal in 43 appearances.
Linari joined France’s Bordeaux in summer 2020 but only managed three appearances in six months before she returned to Italy to join Roma, where she netted seven goals in 77 appearances and won 2022 Supercoppa Italiana followed by 2022-23 Serie A title.
The Italian defender has represented Italy at international level since 2013 and has scored six goals in 115 international caps.
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