Hayley Raso's big announcement as Matildas teammate Mary Fowler falls short in return to Australia

Matildas star Hayley Raso has confirmed her move from Real Madrid to Tottenham in a promising sign for the winger, as Mary Fowler's Man City side went down in Perth on Sunday night. Raso has been in limbo after finding out she would need to find a new club with her time coming to an end in Madrid.

And the Matildas superstar has found a home in Tottenham having signed a two-year deal with the Women's Super League outfit. The 29-year-old will link up with fellow Aussies Clare Hunt and Charlotte Grant at Tottenham and will be the 14th Matildas player in the league.

While there was speculation Raso was fielding interest from Juventus and Paris Saint Germain as her next destination, the Aussie opted for a move back to England after just one season in Spain. Raso should get more game time playing at Tottenham on the wing having been starved of a starting position in Madrid.

"I'm absolutely delighted to be here," Raso said after the announcement. "I think the WSL is such a competitive league, you see that with all of the games and all of the teams. So for me coming back here, it was an easy choice, I want to be back in this league, at this level and Spurs was the team that I chose to do that."

Raso admitted she spoke to her Matildas teammates before making the decision to sign. "I spoke to Charlie, who had been here a while, about what she thought of the club and how it was and how things went," Raso said. "Having the Aussie girls here is a bit of an extra comfort, so for me coming in already knowing them will make my settling in a little easier."

Raso played for Everton in 2020/21 and then joined Manchester City for two seasons. She then joined Madrid in 2023/24, before leaving after one season to join Tottenham.

Both Tottenham and Australian fans were thrilled with the signing as they rallied around Raso ahead of the season. Aussie football analyst Craig Foster led the cheers for Raso's return to England.

Mary Fowler loses upon Australian return

While Raso made her announcement, Matildas duo Fowler and Alanna Kennedy went down to Paris Saint-Germain at the International Football Cup in Perth. Fowler put in a solid shift for Manchester City having made plenty of problems for the Paris side's defence.

However, City were unable to make a breakthrough, before falling 1-0 in the pre-season game. Both Kennedy and Fowler were subbed off in the 61st minute after a solid hit out. PSG won a penalty in the 86th minute when Tara Elimbi Gilbert went down in a challenge by Kerstin Casparij.

RELATED:

• World Cup protected as SBS boss reveals detail in Socceroos-Matildas deal

• Why the Matildas' next coach won't be the person taking the full-time job

And Jennifer Echegini punished City with Fowler's outfit unable to find an equaliser. Earlier in the day, Katrinna Gorry did not take the field for West Ham, but Courtney Nevin was used for a 30 minute cameo in the 5-2 defeat to Leicester.

"It was amazing bringing my teammates to Australia and for them to witness my culture," Nevin said in Perth after the match. Gorry wasn't named in the team after injuring her ankle in Thursday night's game.