LEICESTER, United Kingdom — Canadian international forward Deanne Rose has joined England's Leicester City.
The 24-year-old from Alliston, Ont., arrives on a free transfer from Reading, which was relegated after being after being beaten by Chelsea on the final day of the FA Women's Super League season.
The Reading women have since moved to a part-time setup.
"This league is the best in the world and I'm excited to be a part of it," Rose told the Leicester website. "This is a historic club, and the team is growing and building for the future.
"At this point of my career, it’s important to be somewhere where we can build upwards. I want to get better as a player and as a person, and this is the place to do that. I want to get on the scoreboard as much as possible and have an impact for the team."
Rose was sidelined after injuring her Achilles in Reading's season-opening 4-0 loss to Manchester United in September 2022. But she recovered to make Canada's World Cup squad, seeing action against Nigeria and Australia.
Rose, who attended the University of Florida, made 24 appearances for Reading.
The Leicester women finished 10th in the 12-team Super League last season. The Leicester men, who won the Premier League title in 2015-16, were relegated from the top flight after finishing 18th with a 9-22-7 record.
Rose, who will wear No. 7 with Leicester, will rejoin Canada for a two-legged Olympic playoff against Jamaica later this month.
Other Canadian women in the English top-flight include Kadeisha Buchanan, Jessie Fleming and Ashley Lawrence (Chelsea), Sabrina D’Angelo and Cloe Lacasse (Arsenal), Adriana Leon and Jayde Riviere (Manchester United) and Shelina Zadorsky (Tottenham)
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023
The Canadian Press
