Earps, Hampton fallout: What we know so far from ex-England teammates

Two England women’s goalkeepers have hit the headlines recently, as Mary Earps‘ new book has caused issues with current No. 1 Hannah Hampton, as well as England manager Sarina Wiegman. But what do we know and what else could happen soon?

What happened?

It began on Saturday, when excerpts from Earps’ autobiography «All In: Football, Life and Learning to be Unapologetically Me» were published in The Guardian, serializing the book ahead of its Nov. 6 release. In those excerpts, the 32-year-old launched a scathing attack on her former manager Wiegman — the same woman who brought Earps back into the Lionesses fold after she was dropped by previous boss Phil Neville — and on her successor Hampton, who saved two penalties in Euro 2025 final and won the inaugural Women’s Yashin Trophy for best goalkeeper at the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

Earps claimed that «bad behavior» was being «rewarded» when Hampton was dropped from the England squad following the European Championship in 2022, before being brought back into the fold in early 2023. She was dropped for a string of seven games at then-club Aston Villa and Earps wrote that «behavior behind the scenes at the Euros [in 2022] had frequently risked derailing training sessions and team resources,» though offered no details or examples, explaining that she did not want to go into specifics or «speak badly about anybody else either.»

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Earps described Wiegman’s handling of the situation as «bull—-» and said she believed the England manager should have been «more direct and honest from the jump.» Wiegman disagreed, and Earps writes that she felt «extremely disappointed.»

Yet earlier in the book, Earps also described the Dutch manager and three-time Euros winner as taking «no nonsense when it came to bad behavior and created a culture where it would be addressed head-on to the point of isolating or removing people from the camp who wouldn’t adhere.»

What happened in 2022?

During Hampton’s time at Aston Villa, it was reported by The Guardian that she had been dropped from the squad due to poor behavior. Sources told ESPN a similar story, though other sources insisted that Hampton was managing an injury that contributed to her absence. Meanwhile, several sources spoke highly of Hampton in the wake of the comments, expressing confusion over where Earps’ criticism is coming from, while others detailed further negative experiences with the 24-year-old.

After Hampton’s move to Chelsea, former manager Emma Hayes — renowned for her candor and, at times, brutal honesty — was unlikely to have made Hampton the first-choice goalkeeper if concerns about her behavior had persisted.

Hampton spent several months working on various aspects of her game on and off pitch to earn that starting role. Although specifics were never disclosed, it’s reasonable to assume that some of those improvements extended beyond the pitch. In «One Last Dance,» the documentary chronicling Hayes’ final season in west London, traces of youthful immaturity were evident in the young goalkeeper.

In the documentary, Hayes approached Hampton, sitting on the sidelines during training. The former manager said: «You should be down there, you should be helping her [then-No. 1 Zecira Musovic] for tomorrow. That’s what good teammates do.» She then gives Hampton two options: get out of your head for a minute or to go inside. Hampton says: «I’m happy watching» to which Hayes responds: «You’ve got to work on this» and coaxed her to get up and head over to the other goalkeepers training.

Yet this was hardly unique to Hampton, who was only 21 at the time; plenty of footballers have displayed flashes of petulance early in their careers.

What’s been said?

Before Earps’ book entered the news cycle, Hampton had spoken glowingly of Earps to Glamour magazine last week. «Everyone’s trying to say that there’s bad blood between us, and it’s so horrible to see because if you question it, people are going to be like, she’s just doing this for that,» she said.

In fact, Hampton has never spoken badly about Earps at all, despite the latter insisting there were tensions between them. Earps even presented Hampton with the best goalkeeper award at the Ballon d’Or in September, with the Chelsea goalkeeper insisting it was a «lovely» moment.

«She’d pushed so much for that award, and she pushed for the women’s game and for women’s goalkeepers to be seen and recognized,» Hampton said of that night, and of Earps. «Everything she’s done for the England game and women’s football in general is something I’ve wanted to continue and build on. I’ve got big shoes and big gloves to fill. I’m trying my hardest. I don’t think I’ll ever get to the standard she was at, but it was a lovely thing that she was able to be there.»

But not everyone thought that Earps’ quotes in the book about Hampton and Wiegman were warranted or acceptable. On Saturday, Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor slammed Earps for a lack of respect and alluded that the former England shot stopper is classless compared to Hampton.

«I just want to say that since I joined Chelsea, [Hampton] has grown so much and is such a professional athlete and also a good person,» she told a news conference after Chelsea’s 3-0 win over London City Lionesses, in which Hampton had a near-perfect game with three saves and good distribution despite the outside noise. «We have a really good relationship together and I want to show her my support in this situation.

«I would also like to say it’s more about respect. With what I read in terms of the comments coming from Mary Earps, it’s not acceptable to not show respect to your teammates or managers. I would say, we are talking about Hannah, but also I want to raise my voice for Sarina.

«When you use some words saying something about someone who won the Euros three times in a row, you should probably think about it before you speak. It is about respect. Hannah has been fine with us and all the club, myself, the staff and the players are all behind her. If you look at what Hannah said in the previous comments about Mary Earps then what Mary is saying about her now, one of them is class and Hannah is the class one.»

Earps responded to the coverage of her comments with a post on Instagram later on Saturday, saying: «It’s gut-wrenching to be portrayed as someone you’re not. It’s not easy to be as vulnerable and open as I have been in the book, and I understand that my honesty and rawness will divide opinion. That’s OK, everyone is entitled to feel what they feel and I respect that.

«Things have escalated really quickly today, women pitted against each other. I know that the negative is what gets clicks, but it’s sad that that’s the only thing being discussed — I also said some really positive things and gave credit where it’s due.

«I know that people like to create drama, but please remember this book is about my life and experiences. This is not a soap opera, this is real life. Pulling out a paragraph, or a sentence here and there is not a reflection of the contents of the book.»

However, sources have told ESPN that Earps’ comments were ill-advised given the nature of serializing — publishing sections of the book ahead of the release — is going to do just that, and the 32-year-old agreed to it, and would have seen multiple revisions before it went to print.

Why now?

The announcement of Earps’ book release coincided with the Ballon d’Or ceremony — the very night many expected frontrunner Hampton to win the inaugural Women’s Yashin Trophy, which, in an ironic twist, was presented by Earps herself. Some sources dismissed the timing as coincidence, though the date of the ceremony had been confirmed months in advance. To other sources it looked like a strategic move; a deliberate attempt to seize headlines and, perhaps, to overshadow Hampton’s achievement.

Then came the decision to publish the first excerpt of the book, notably, from the chapter focusing on Hampton, on the eve of Chelsea’s match against London City, the first game back after the international break. Knowing Hampton would almost certainly start, sources close to the situation described the move as «calculated.» Once again, it appeared to many as an attempt to unsettle the 24-year-old. Yet Hampton remained unflappable, keeping her composure and recording a third consecutive clean sheet.

Looking further back, the timing of Earps’ international retirement also raised eyebrows. Her decision came just weeks before the start of Euro 2025. In her book, Earps writes that she had felt pressure to stay within the England setup, only making her final decision after a conversation with Wiegman. Many at the time viewed her choice as a betrayal — that she had let the team down or was unwilling to play deputy to Hampton. Earps acknowledges as much in her book, but insists her issue was not that she stepped away, but when she chose to do so.

Nevertheless, her timing angered even some supporters, with England left heading into a major tournament relying on two backup goalkeepers who had yet to win a senior cap.

How has it been received?

Like most things, opinions are divided. There are two predominant schools of thought: some argue that Earps should be open about her struggles with Hampton and not use a book called «Unapologetically Me» to air issues, while others believe such matters should remain private.

BBC Women’s Football Show pundits Fern Whelan and Lindsay Johnson echoed the latter, asking, «is it necessary» for Earps to have so publicly attacked Hampton? It’s a very valid question.

The scale of the discussion is hardly surprising given the players’ profiles — for a time, Earps was trending on X — but the PR surrounding the book has been largely negative.

Yet, having spent time with Hampton at both Aston Villa and Birmingham City, Republic of Ireland international Ruesha Littlejohn said on «The Ruesha and Shebahn Show,» a podcast she shares with her sister: «If you have been around Hannah before, you know exactly what Hannah was like, because I can’t say what she’s like now. So she was maybe difficult, disruptive, however you want to word it. Hannah’s probably not been in the past a great teammate to always be around.

«When you talk about her as a teammate, is she a pain in the a—? 100% a pain in the a—. Has she grown and got better? Bompastor seems to think she has. I’m not in the Chelsea team, I don’t know that now.»

However, Littlejohn also praised Hampton’s class on the pitch, admitting: «Hannah had the ability, 100%, what a player. She’s a great player with a bright future and one of the best goalkeepers in women’s and arguably men’s football, with her distribution, which is second to none.»

Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent, who now works as a presenter for talkSPORT, also weighed in on the situation, saying: «I understand Hampton potentially was a disruption when she was younger, getting in the squads, and she wasn’t happy about being in the squad. But Weigman, you’re talking about one of the best female managers on the planet, by the way, if not the best. If she decides to bring Hampton back because she feels she’s matured, because as young people, we always do silly stuff … then I’ve got no issue with that. And obviously, it seemed like it was the right decision.

«But what it looks like to me a little bit, the little snippets that have been taken … it almost felt like Sarina said, ‘I’m going to bring back Hannah Hampton and she’s also going to be No. 1 one.’ And Mary didn’t like that, threw her toys at her pram and said, ‘you know what, I’m retiring’ …

«I’m sure there’s going to be a lot more to this story, but it just doesn’t look right for Mary.»

Furthermore, Earps’ subsequent comments about her words being taken out of context and about women being pitted against each other have come across as misguided — even insulting — given that at the time of writing, Hampton has yet to comment. This has only further frustrated fans, with many accusing her of playing the victim. Others have expressed irritation that the situation is being portrayed as Earps vs. Hampton, when one party has remained entirely silent.

Things worsened for Earps on Monday when Hampton was named in FIFPRO’s World 11, the best XI of the year, beating out her predecessor in a player-only vote. A source told ESPN that what was meant to be an attempt to reclaim her title as the nation’s sweetheart, following her BBC Sports Personality of the Year win in 2023, has instead become a PR nightmare.

On Monday night, she told BBC Sport: «It’s been really overwhelming to see how some things have been distorted a little bit. I’ve not written this book to tear anyone down in any shape or form. That is not who I am as a person. This is real life. It has consequences. It isn’t a drama.

«I don’t think I’ve thought about what I wanted the reaction to be. I’m not surprised, by what I’ve seen on my algorithms [on social media], if I had come to the same conclusions as other people if I’m honest. But that’s not what I feel I’ve written. I don’t think it’s a fair reflection and I think it’s been taken out of the entirety of the context. I speak about so many different things and it’s hard to see only certain things being pulled out and really focused on.»

There are still some defending Earps, recalling her openness about mental health and urging others to be kind. But what’s increasingly clear — from both the volume of criticism and the silence of her supporters — is that her reputation has taken a hit.

What’s to come?

There are many other significant topics confirmed as being present in the book that have yet to be discussed or read before the Nov. 6 publication date: Earps’ battle with depression, struggles with alcohol, questions around her sexuality and relationships, eating issues, her triumph at Euro 2022, her stand-off with Nike over the lack of women’s goalkeeper shirts in 2023, her departure from Manchester United, her World Cup final penalty save, and her reflections on bullying and mental health.

Throughout her career, Earps has delivered countless iconic moments: lifting the Euro 2022 trophy, earning the 2023 World Cup Golden Glove, saving a penalty in England’s final against Spain – and her fiery «F— off» celebration that followed. Add to that her record 14 WSL clean sheets for Manchester United and a fifth-place finish in the 2023 Ballon d’Or, and you have one of the defining figures in women’s football. Yet, for now at least, those achievements risk being overshadowed.

Perhaps a wider readership — one that extends beyond the world of women’s football, much like Earps’ own influence has in recent years — will interpret her story differently. But with the book still to be released in full, the saga is far from over. Time will tell whether Earps can reclaim her reputation in the wake of her «unapologetic,» if at times perhaps misguided, decision to tell her story on her own terms.