“Her qualities on the ball are unquestioned,” remarked Emma Hayes while praising teenage sensation Lily Yohannes. Having begun her professional journey with the USWNT at just 16, the young midfielder has only matured with time, showing similar growth at her domestic side, Ajax. However, it seems Yohannes is now ready to elevate and test her talents at the next level, as she has answered the call of European giants.

And those giants are not Chelsea, who were keen on signing the prodigy, per a May report published by ESPN. In fact, even the talented teenager herself was open to a possible move to Kingsmeadow, where she would have enjoyed the company of fellow national teammates, Naomi Girma, Catarina Macario, and Mia Fishel.

On Monday, it was announced that Lily has signed a three-year deal with the eight-time European champions, keeping her with the French giants until June 30, 2028. According to ESPN sources, Lyonnes will be paying a transfer fee close to €450,000 ($526,000) as she had a deal with the Dutch side until 2026. In fact, a potential future sale of the talented midfielder would see Ajax earn a certain percentage.

Thanks to the transfer, Yohnnes will now team up with her USWNT captain, Lindsey Horan (Heaps). Under the veteran midfielder’s guidance, Yohannes will surely be eager to learn and grow. Not to mention, the two already play together in the national camp, and doing the same at the club level will only help them build even stronger chemistry in the center of the pitch.

Notably, after playing for the USA’s U15 and U16 teams in 2022, Lily went on to train with the Netherlands’ youth squad in December 2023. Her path reached a new milestone in March 2024, when she received her first senior USWNT call-up under Emma Hayes. Interestingly, Yohannes once admitted that without the support of the locker room and even Emma Hayes, she wouldn’t have thought of choosing to represent the Stars and Stripes.

There, Lily will be playing under the former Washington Spirit and FC Barcelona Femini head coach Jonathan Giraldez, who replaced Joe Montemurro at the French club. Either way, it is going to be quite an interesting collaboration between Yohannes and her new team, especially Horan, who apparently wants to learn from the youngster instead.

USWNT skipper Lindsey Horan was ‘jealous’ of Lilly Yohannes

When Lily Yohannes joined the USWNT squad in April and returned for the June friendlies, she instantly left a strong impression. In fact, her aura was so different that it even left someone like Lindsey Horan mesmerised. While speaking to ESPN, the 31-year-old once highlighted her calmness and composure in high-stakes matches, like in the UEFA Champions League.

“I feel jealous of that,” Horan said. “That’s not how I was at that time.” Well, simply put, Lindsey is astonished by how natural it is for Yohannes while playing even in the most pressured games of one’s career, something which she never had. Yet, that didn’t stop the OL Lyonnes skipper from making Lily comfortable and not letting the pressure hit the youngster.

“When she first came into U.S. camp, there were little jokes made here and there,” she said. “For us, we didn’t want to put added pressure [on her]. I was probably making the most jokes to her,” added Horan, insisting all was done to just calm her down and ease into the team efficiently. So expect the USWNT skipper to make a similar welcome for Yohannes in France.