The Oregonian reported this morning that Nadia Nadim and Amandine Henry will not return to the Thorns in 2018. Nadim is headed for Manchester City, and Henry is set to rejoin her old club, Olympique Lyonnais. The Thorns have reportedly known about both moves “for some time” and have yet-to-be-named replacements lined up.
With Henry, the writing has been on the wall since at least the end of August, when French outlet L’Equipe reported that the midfielder was likely to rejoin OL despite an offer from Paris Saint-Germain. Nadim’s departure comes as more of a surprise, although NWSL fans should, by now, be accustomed to the financial reality that the league is never more than a stopover for top foreign players. The league’s maximum salary is $41,700, although with the club salary cap set at $315,000, it’s unlikely that too many players are actually making anywhere near that.
Meanwhile, per L’Equipe, Henry turned down a 17,500€-a-month offer from PSG in favor of 30,000€ from Lyon. There’s no word on what Nadim was offered, but in the past, WSL salaries have been reported as topping out around £35,000-a-year—not as much as what Lyon’s stars make, but still an improvement over NWSL salaries.
Both Nadim and Henry will remain with the team through the playoffs. Now, buckle up for the drama over who the Thorns might be bringing in as replacements:
You know who would very nicely fill in that Nadim-shaped hole in the Portland attack next year? Mallory Pugh. Just sayin'
— Charles Olney (@olneyce) September 24, 2017