By Gethin Thurlow (5/2/26)
Above: Codie Thomas donning her new colours in her new city Photo: Georgia Reynolds/Glasgow City FC
SWPL leaders Glasgow City have announced the loan signing of young Man City right back Codie Thomas until the end of the season.
Thomas, 19, has Champions League experience for City, playing in that injury-affected 2024/25 season. Struggling for gametime this year, with starting right back Kerstin Casparij in world class form, the youngster, who’s been with City her entire football career, comes to Scotland looking for regular starts to help her into that next stage of development.
Thomas becomes the third Man City player making a loan move to the SWPL this window, after striker Poppy Pritchard and left back Tara O’Hanlon signed for Celtic earlier in January. Their tenures have started positively, with Pritchard displacing starting striker Saoirse Noonan in just her second game, scoring a goal in her first start against Rangers in a crucial cup semi final.
Glasgow’s newest resident told her club “I’m really excited to be here, go out there, get some minutes, and show everyone what I am about.
“The game in Scotland is really interesting, and every match is going to be tough. It’s a really good league to come into and to play in.”
Thomas’s new Head Coach, Leanne Ross described the defender as “an energetic player who is composed on the ball and works hard out of possession.”In terms of her place within the squad, Ross said “As we enter a crucial period of the campaign, Codie’s arrival adds more competition and quality to the squad, and we look forward to seeing how she contributes during her time in Scotland.”
It is an interesting move, and raises potential questions about the injury status of Lisa Evans, who had to be substituted off in the first half against Rangers in their last league game, and didn’t make the squad for Saturday’s Sky Sports Cup semi final in Edinburgh.
While City’s defence is pretty set in stone – with Amy Muir starting almost every game at left back and the Kimberly Smit/ Lana Golob centre back partnership remaining relatively unbroken, the right back position is generally shared out more. While Lisa Evans is often the starter, Chloe Warrington always enjoys her fair share of minutes too.
Whether this move is a response to an Evans injury or something that City were planning anyway, the Petershill faithful can expect a strong and dynamic right back, who loves to help out the attack in wide areas and can more than hold her own in defence. As both of her clubs fight for titles in their respective countries, Codie Thomas will look to return to Manchester a changed person and footballer.
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