Kang: London City can go all the way after big-name signings

Michele Kang insists London City Lionesses can “go all the way” this season after an expensive and headline-making summer of signings.

The billionaire club owner is spending big in the summer transfer window with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas the biggest name of a recruitment drive that also includes former England No.1 Mary Earps and four-time Champions League winner Mapi Leon.

Kang, exclusively speaking to Sky Sports News in New York, insists the aims for the club are huge both in the long and short-term.

• London City Lionesses complete landmark signing of Alexia Putellas
• Alexia Putellas has power to change the WSL - why is she joining London City?
• Mary Earps makes WSL return with London City Lionesses

"Go all the way", she said. "Whatever is there for the club to achieve I'm here to support. I want to see them win a WSL title, I want them to qualify for European competition."

London City finished sixth in their first season as a WSL club but it's fair to say pushing for Champions League football is expected in year two.

Signing Putellas to one of the biggest contracts in world football sent a message - Kang and her Lionesses are aiming to shake up the establishment.

"With her [Putellas'] arrival and other players to join it's going to give a little jolt, a kick, to making the league more competitive and compelling," she said.

"It's been a lot of hard work. I'm deeply grateful she made the decision to join this young, unproven team. I'm very happy for the club, the league and women's football. This is going to be really exciting."

London City's signings have left some clubs and fans asking: 'How are they able to do this?'

The WSL has a salary cap that stands at 80 per cent of 'relevant revenue' plus an extra £4m. Signing Putellas, Earps, Leon, Germany forward Nicole Anyomi, Janni Thomsen from Utah Royals and giving new contracts to Freya Godfrey, Poppy Pattinson and Kosovare Asllani will have cost a lot, but Kang insists it's all calculated.

"We are working on every front," she said. "Clearly, one of the ways to do that is to generate and increase our revenue. I've hired a lot of advisors and partners to bring commercial revenues in, ticket sales in.

"For a long time lots people thought women's football was amateur. I want to see this game stand entirely on its own and the players earn what they're truly worth, not because someone's generous or a corporation's writing a DEI cheque but the business of this game is generating that revenue.

"We have a full-court press on commercial and ticket sales so everything will be parallel."

Kang is also pushing for changes to the current financial rules to give clubs the chance of breaking the dominance of the usual top four.

She said: "I'm not against having a salary cap, but when you have an open system with promotion and relegation, for newly promoted teams it's very hard for them to compete with teams that have been in the league for a long time.

"You've seen it in the last few years, the newly promoted team gets relegated within a year because they can't be competitive."

London City are the only team in the top flight that isn't affiliated with a men's club. Kang says that brings about challenges, one of them being declaring revenue.

"If you're with a men's team, the front-of-jersey sponsorship, they just allocate a certain percentage to the women's team so all of a sudden you can say it's 20 per cent, 30 per cent so their revenue is higher.

"As an independent team we have to earn every single penny for all our expenses. Nothing happens overnight and this is the first time WSL and FA in England has to deal with a fully independent team.

"It'll take some time but I'm working with owners and working with the league. It's very important.

"This is not just about London City, it's about newly promoted teams. Giving them some time and the tools to be competitive so the game isn't just the top four teams win and the bottom three teams always losing and getting relegated."

Kang's wish is for any club with ambition and funding to have the chance to break into English football's elite. For now, however, she'll be happy if the only ones able to do that are London City.

Kang now has the star power, we'll find out soon whether the Lionesses can tear up the league and have a new team on top.