Two years after standing pitch-side in Bilbao as Barcelona lifted the Women's Champions League, Michele Kang has fundamentally altered the landscape of English women's football. The South Korean-born American billionaire, whose fortune stems from healthcare technology, has transformed London City Lionesses from a second-tier club based in Bromley into one of the most talked-about outfits in the Women's Super League.
Kang's Kynisca group also owns French giants OL Lyonnes and American side Washington Spirit, and her multi-club strategy has funnelled elite talent toward London City at a remarkable pace. Having secured promotion, the Lionesses moved to strengthen their squad with signings drawn directly from that 2024 Champions League final. Spain international Alexia Putellas arrived as the biggest overseas signing in WSL history, reportedly earning around £1 million annually, while two of her former Barcelona teammates, Mapi Leon and Jana Fernandez, also joined.
London City have also raided sister club Lyonnes, bringing in forwards Kadidiatou Diani and Delphine Cascarino along with midfielder Danielle van de Donk. Former England goalkeeper Mary Earps was added from Paris Saint-Germain, while last summer's £1 million deal for midfielder Grace Geyoro from PSG placed London City among the WSL's biggest spenders, rivalled only by Arsenal and Chelsea.
What makes the club's rise particularly striking is its independence. Among the 14 teams in this season's expanded WSL, London City are the only club without ties to a men's side, yet their outlay dwarfs that of Premier League-backed Manchester United and Liverpool.
Kang's ambitions extend beyond transfer fees. She has struck a Nike shirt deal reportedly worth £3 million — exceeding some Premier League front-of-shirt sponsorships — and invested $50 million into the Kynisca Innovation Hub, a research centre dedicated to female athlete health. All three Kynisca-owned clubs will benefit from its findings on female-specific training and injury prevention, an area she considers chronically under-researched. London City are also building a new training facility in Kent tailored to the needs of female players.
However, the model has drawn scrutiny. When Barcelona beat Lyonnes in May's Champions League final, goalkeeper Cata Coll appeared to take aim at Kang, remarking that