Jana Fernández on bringing the 'essence of Barcelona' to London and ambitions of returning to the Champions League
The 23-year-old defender discusses adapting to the WSL, the contrasts between Spain and England and why London City Lionesses already feels like home
Three months after joining the Women’s Super League, 23-year-old Spanish international Jana Fernández has hit the ground running at London City Lionesses. She spoke to The Cutback about the difference in football culture between Spain and England, the unity within her new squad and ambitions for the future.
Fernández grew up in Martorell, a small town in the province of Catalonia where sport was woven into everyday life. “My mum and dad used to play handball, that’s how they met actually. My mum was also a gymnastics teacher. They tried to get me into those sports first and it didn’t work out.”
After playing for her local club, she caught the eye of FC Barcelona and soon joined La Masia, the club’s prestigious youth academy. “I think it’s one of the best academies in the world, it’s really professional. I always say that they made me the person and the player that I am because it’s more than football. It goes much deeper than that.”
Barcelona’s women’s team has faced challenges recently amid the wider club’s financial strain, with the men’s team’s high expenses contributing to several departures this summer – Fernández among them. She signed for London City Lionesses during the transfer window, one of 17 new signings for the newly promoted team backed by the investment of the American businesswoman Michele Kang. London, she says, has suited her on and off the pitch.
Although Catalan and Castilian Spanish are her native tongues, she speaks near-perfect English. She credits her language skills to her teenage devotion to the British boyband One Direction. “I was so interested in what they were saying, so in order for me to understand, I had to put subtitles on in Spanish at the beginning. It started like that, then I started watching Netflix shows because I felt comfortable listening in English.”
Playing in the first-team squad at Barcelona helped too. “During my time at Barcelona, I made friendships with foreign girls like Keira [Walsh], who I was really close with, and we would speak in English all the time. Football has brought me more friends that I spoke English with.”
Now in her first WSL season, she has seen noticeable changes already. “As a fan, the WSL is more attractive in a competitive way, meaning that you never know what can happen. Chelsea drew against Liverpool the other day. The excitement of this league keeps the fans looking for it and watching it.”
“At Barcelona, the infrastructure was amazing, but that obviously wasn’t the same for other clubs in Liga F. When we went to other stadiums, the field was horrible, or they wouldn’t have a doctor or physios, or that week they had to train on astroturf every day – things that made no sense. I don’t think those things would happen here.”
Despite Spain’s recent success on the international stage, including the 2023 World Cup win, she believes investment in the domestic league has not followed. It is a contrast she felt sharply when weighing her move. “I knew when signing for London City, after England unfortunately won the Euros [in 2025], that would mean the league would invest even more, which would indirectly benefit me. I thought: ‘What a shame that doesn’t happen back in Spain.’ Many players in my national team and back at Barcelona have said that we cannot just focus on being a player. We have to fight for our rights, but now I don’t have to think about those things as much because people have already made progress with it.”
Those teammates include Mariona Caldentey, who signed for Arsenal in 2024, and Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí. Both have spoken out about the lack of resources and support for Spanish women’s football as a key reason why more international players are moving to the WSL. Fernández continues: “Although I was not part of the squad that won it, as a country we won a World Cup, but no investments were made into the league because they thought that winning was enough. That’s the main difference.”
She has also had to adjust to a different playing style. “I have seen a step up in how physical this league can be. It’s about running, but maybe that’s because I am a full-back and that’s what my position requires. At Barcelona, we would have the ball, make a long possession to finish with a shot on goal, but here everything is so back and forth. You get to the box and you’re already running back to your own!”
“I was raised Barça style – I’m a tiki-taka fan, so not being able to play that type of football was a bit frustrating at the beginning. I’m trying to bring little pieces of that high-possession game here and trying to bring that essence of Spain. I’m learning things from this English culture and taking some from back in Spain, so it’s really nice to have that mix.”
As the conversation turned to life off the pitch, we compared our experiences of moving between England and Spain. The cultural shifts are real, from daily rhythms to social habits. Fernández laughed when admitting one of the biggest changes: “Now I’m sleeping at 10.30pm!” She misses certain aspects of the Spanish lifestyle, particularly afternoon siestas and sobremesa – a word for the long, lingering conversations after meals.
However, she has found a strong sense of home within the London City squad, supported by the presence of three other Spanish players: Maria Pérez, Lucía Corrales and Elene Lete. “Maria is Catalan like me, so we can speak the same language, which can be really important away from home. We actually shared a dressing room together back in Barcelona some years ago.”
The squad’s cohesion has surprised even her. With players of different nationalities and experience levels, from young talents like Isobel Goodwin and Freya Godfrey to seasoned internationals like Nikita Parris, the group has gelled quickly. “I’m learning from every player that I have next to me. Elena Linari plays next to me and has been at the top level for a really long time. Kosovare Asllani reached 200 caps with the national team not long ago. It’s crazy, but I’m sharing a dressing room with really historic players and legends in my eyes.”
Fernández, who previously won the Champions League twice with Barcelona, has hopes of returning to the competition with London City. “Realistically, every match is to fight for those places. I think it’s going to be hard this season, but it’s a possibility, it can be a reality. It was crazy to think about at the beginning of the season, but now we’re two points away and nothing is impossible. I’m really happy with how the team has built up until now, and we’re starting to put those pieces together, which we can see in the results.”