Annie Walker and Lauryn Goodman head for Wag War Two: Kyle Walker's wife is preparing to sue his mistress, has a 'dossier' of social media posts and has hired Coleen Rooney's lawyers as their feud gets even UGLIER

ALTHOUGH she wasn't ­photographed, Annie Walker — the long-suffering wife of Manchester City's star ­philanderer Kyle — did show up at the Etihad stadium on Wednesday night to watch him play in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Her presence was poignant, not just because she'd given birth only days ­earlier. She brought along all four of their boys, including the newborn — sending a message about their unity as a family, and Kyle's sterling qualities as a father to the children he loves very deeply.

Yet, if anyone thinks this signifies a period of peace and calm in the Walker household, they'd be wrong.

For it can be revealed, almost two years to the day after the start of the 'Wagatha Christie' trial, between warring football wives, Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney, which gripped the world (and handsomely lined some lawyers' pockets), another clash is about to be unleashed. This time it involves Annie and Walker's ex-mistress Lauryn Goodman, and it could prove a worthy rival to the first courtroom drama.

For anyone who has missed this long-running saga, the circumstances are complicated to say the least.

 In January, Walker left the £3.5 million family home in Prestbury, Cheshire, after Instagram 'influencer' Lauryn Goodman let Annie know that Kyle was the father of her daughter.

Annie had already accepted that three years previously, Lauryn had given birth to her son Kairo after a fling with him.

This latest transgression was too much to bear, and Kyle, the father of her then three children Roman, 11, Riaan, seven, and Reign, five, was dispatched to a rented apartment nearby.

There he remains.

When the whole mess came out into the open, Kyle made a lengthy public apology to Annie, admitting to 'idiot choices and idiot decisions'.

Annie's friends say she has yet to decide if they can make a go of their marriage. She is in no hurry to reach a decision.

One factor which continues to weigh is that — according to her friends and contrary to previous reports — she and Kyle had not split up and were not on a break when he fathered Kairo.

The second transgression then gives her even more to mull over.

People who know them both well think they will 'probably' work things out, eventually, but observe that football is a 'very seedy world' and that the combination of money and adulation has a sadly warping effect on the ordinary young men in it.

You only have to look at the ­marital woes of the Rooneys to see proof of that.

Friends of Annie tell me: 'She is very much like Coleen. She's just a normal down-to-earth girl. Like Coleen, she has married her school sweetheart. She has dealt with a lot and it has been very ­distressing, but she has no ­intention of being walked all over.

'Ultimately this is not about fighting over a man — not at all. That has all been settled. Kyle wants to be with Annie and it's up to Annie whether they can get past what he has done. Kyle ­promises he will never have any contact with Lauryn again.

'This is about Annie wanting to protect her children and to get them some privacy. It's not ­acceptable to her to have them used in arguments and to have all this drama. She wants to move on from the drama, she does want it to end.'

For now, the Walkers are moving forward as a family, with Kyle ­seeing as much of the children as he likes, and being reportedly present in the hospital to support Annie when she gave birth. Both are ­'overjoyed' that the infant has arrived safely.

And this summer, all four boys, plus Annie, will cheer on Kyle at the Euro championships in Germany.

The last outing of his children with Annie — when they ran out as mascots before an England game last month — drew a ­perhaps predictable, sour response from Lauryn. A 'source', possibly Lauryn's spokesman Simon Boyle, commented: 'It's a shame to see children wheeled out as part of a row between adults and his many ­infidelities. Lauryn couldn't be less bothered and says he will be an overweight bald nobody soon.'

Sources on the other side say the boys appeared in an expression of familial pride and it was nothing to do with a row over infidelity.

Meanwhile, a court date has been set for a ruling to be made about financial support for Lauryn Goodman and her two children. (Lauryn has not disclosed the name of the daughter she had in August last year.) That will be a private hearing in the family court in July.

Kyle Walker already supports the children and it's believed settling out of court has been discussed, but the feeling from the Walker camp is that they want the certainty of a legal ruling. Annie, in particular, is insisting on it. There appears to be no trust between the parties.

A source says: 'He will meet his financial obligations to his children but some of the requests made have seemed unreasonable.'

As to seeing the two children whom Kyle has fathered, and who live with Lauryn in Sussex — that's a definite no. 'He is not able to play a part in their lives because of Lauryn's behaviour,' says a source. 'In the past he saw them a handful of times, but that is not going to ­happen again.'

Extraordinarily, the looming hearing about maintenance is not the only legal action afoot.

For Annie has been taking legal advice over a flurry of social media posts by Lauryn, mostly made on Instagram stories.

She believes this may amount to harassment, and is considering legal action against Lauryn.

Whatever the lawyers make of all this, it has been a dirty game so far. In January, photographs and footage of Kyle in the park with his two children by Lauryn were leaked to media outlets. It came at a difficult time as Kyle had only just left the family home, and Annie was coming to terms with the fact he was the father of Lauryn's daughter. She was apparently contacted by Lauryn on December 27 and told the news.

Friends of Lauryn have since ­spoken of her hope that her ­children get to know their half-­siblings and for them to experience a 'blended family' in years to come. That seems very unlikely.

In February, Lauryn shared a startling video which showed her son with Kyle, Kairo, speaking Spanish and apparently saying the names of his half-brothers.

Annie's sister Sian said on ­Instagram: 'It only shows how low you will stoop to get attention.'

She added that Lauryn was being 'cruel' to her sister, who was at that point heavily pregnant.

Annie is said to feel she's been put under 'enormous stress' by apparently fairly broad attacks.

Lauryn could potentially end up with a fine and a restraining order if a civil action against her succeeded.

Just like Coleen Rooney, who made her infamous Wagatha post after months of quiet detective work, Annie is moving slowly and deliberately and no legal action has been taken yet.

She's thought to have even engaged the same law firm that looked after Coleen to advise her.

I'm told that the question which the lawyers are concerning themselves with is this: at what point does freedom of speech tip over into something else?

They have a dossier of dozens of Instagram posts and footage posted by Lauryn, who is certainly a ­prolific user of the site.

Among them is a post which was sparked by Kyle Walker running out on the pitch wearing Puma football boots embroidered with the names of his three children, by Annie — leaving out son Kairo with Lauryn.

Lauryn at this point launched a petition aimed at Puma, who she accused of damaging Kairo's ­mental health. Is that harassment of Annie?

Another post calls Annie a ­'bitter, vile wife', a further one 'a woman scorned' while a third post describes her as 'mental'.

Some posts appear to threaten to disclose the then secret news that Kyle was the father of her daughter.

In November, Lauryn posted: 'When games have their expiry date. That's today.' Then there was: 'Just realise my bio needs updating at some point for little ­princess, she will also need her own Instagram.' (Kairo has his own Instagram which tags Kyle Walker as his father.) She also posted: 'This Christmas will be a memorable one, for everyone.'

At least nine times she put up a 'Countdown' clock but did not then make an announcement. On December 22 she changed her ­biography to state that she was the mother of Kairo Walker 'and KW', hinting that her daughter also had Walker's surname.

The lawyers have also noted the ­curious incident when she was photographed 'househunting' in Cheshire in April 2021. It is thought that she posted a picture of herself with a neighbour of Kyle ­Walker's on Instagram at this time.

Friends say Annie found this threatening, although a ­spokesman for Annie declined to comment.

The lawyers have also noted Lauryn's posting of a ­comment by WAG Becky Vardy — not one to step back from a fight — who apparently asked her at the time of the eruption over Kyle's personalised football boots: 'I know it must be hard for you and Kairo but I am so, so curious. sorry if this is offensive, I don't mean for it to be at all. It's just so confusing for your supporters how someone can do this to you and your babies. I don't understand it myself.'

Lauryn then shared what was purportedly a message from Becky Vardy to Annie, in which Vardy appears to take her to task for criticising her in a newspaper story, saying: 'You are so weak Annie! You have so much ­misplaced anger.'

It is true that there was an ­outbreak of hostilities between the women in the newspapers around this time. In March, Becky accused Annie of being a ­'doormat' and 'playing the victim.'

A spokesman for Mrs Vardy did not return requests for comment.

A spokesman for Lauryn said: 'Annie should focus on being a new mum and waste less time and energy on more spurious legal ­disputes which cost time, money and damage to everybody's ­mental wellbeing.

'There is no reason she [Lauryn] can't speak about her own ­children and family proudly, which she has done recently.

'There is no reason Annie, Kyle and Lauryn and their respective children ­cannot now all get on with their lives happily.'

We all know, following the Wagatha affair, where these social media fall-outs can end. Might this go the same way?

You might think that a potential civil suit over harassment is a funny way to go about achieving the peace that Annie craves.

But only this week, Lauryn shared a quote which read: ­'Sometimes a perfect family is just a mum and her kids.' She added in another post: 'One of each. Their love for each other is ­perfect. Couldn't be more blessed.' Both seemed to be a dig at Annie and her family.

Annie wants these continued seemingly chippy remarks to end.

So the question is — are we now looking at Wagatha: the sequel?