Sunderland land Finnish striker on loan

Finnish forward heads north on loan

Sunderland AFC have snapped up Finnish international Sanni Franssi on a season-long loan deal from London City Lionesses. The 31-year-old striker drops down from the Women's Super League to WSL 2 for the 2026/27 campaign - though calling it a step down feels a bit harsh given the CV she's carrying.

A well-travelled goal scorer

Franssi only arrived at London City in the summer of 2025 following a five-year stint at Real Sociedad. Her debut English season saw her feature in 23 competitive fixtures, bagging two League Cup goals against Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town.

Her time in Spain was considerably more prolific. Across 135 Liga F appearances for Real Sociedad, she found the net 35 times. The highlight? Ten league goals in 2021/22 that helped the club finish runners-up and reach the Champions League for the first time.

Titles and 92 Finland caps

Born in Vaasa, Franssi kicked off her career with VJS and PK-35 Vantaa before embarking on a European tour that included FC Zürich, Juventus Turin, and Fortuna Hjørring. She collected silverware at virtually every stop - a Finnish championship with PK-35, an Italian title with Juventus, and a Danish league-and-cup double with Fortuna.

Internationally, she's racked up 92 senior caps for Finland and featured at the European Championships in both 2022 and 2025, playing all three group matches at the latter tournament, Soccerdonna reports.

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