Lionesses goalkeeper. Ellie Roebuck. has officially joined Barcelona on a free transfer, three weeks on from her emotional exit at Manchester City.
Roebuck called time on her nine-year stint with the Manchester City senior side as she decided not to renew her contract with the Women’s Super League runners-up.
The Sheffield-born goalkeeper made 93 appearances with the senior team having played as second fiddle for the majority of her tenure.
She will now be taking on a new challenge in Spain, with Barcelona confirming her arrival at the club on Wednesday.
“I am very excited, I had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time,” the Lionesses keeper told Barca’s official website.
“I am very happy to be here.
“You could say that now everything has fallen into place, it was the perfect time to come.
“I want to go private and live a new experience.
“There’s no better place to do it than here, so I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
Roebuck added on what she will bring to the team: “I like to play with the ball at my feet and this is the perfect team to do that.
“They like to have possession and play from the back, so I hope to bring my style.”
Leaving Man City Behind
Roebuck said a final goodbye to City fans in an emotional statement at the end of May, having spent almost a decade on the books of the English side.
“Manchester became my home 9 years ago and I’m leaving with nothing but pride,” she wrote on social media.
“To the fans, thank you for growing with me.
“Since the age of 15, I’ve been welcomed with open arms and loved every second of representing your club.
“We’ve enjoyed so many special times together – FA and League Cups being absolute highlights, as well as playing Champions League football.
“You give up everything to support us and it’s truly appreciated.
“I hope you know I gave everything each time I played for this club that I consider home and will now support for life To my teammates you guys are special people and will continue to shine, I have no doubts.
“Things don’t always have the perfect ending but I can reflect on some of the best moments of my life playing in blue.”
Roebuck is likely to join forces with fellow Lionesses stars Kiera Walsh and Lucy Bronze at Barcelona, though the former is being touted for a big transfer to Arsenal in the WSL.
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Roebuck will be inheriting the No.1 goalkeeper jersey from Sandra Panos, who left Barcelona as a free agent earlier this month.
The Lionesses star is still on the road to full recovery after she reportedly suffered a stroke earlier this year.
Regardless, it is expected that Roebuck will make a full recovery and play a key role in Barcelona’s pre-season campaign.
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