The 2026 summer transfer window has closed, setting the stage for the new Women’s Super League season to begin.
For some clubs, the summer months brought much-needed investment to plug holes in their squad. For others, inactivity could prove costly for their season’s ambitions. Here’s who nailed the window, and who fell foul of it.
WINNERS
Tottenham
Spurs did a lot of their business early, securing experienced forward Kirsty Hanson from Aston Villa and striker Shekiera Martinez from West Ham to add significant firepower to an attack that already included young stars Cathinka Tandberg and Signe Gaupset.
Manager Martin Ho — arguably the biggest contributor to Spurs’ transformation from relegation candidates in 2024-25 to top-four challengers inside a year — has also attracted seasoned Champions League players in Caitlin Dijkstra, Victoria Pelova and Alice Sombath. The latter two arrive with title-winning experience, having lifted league trophies with their respective former clubs Arsenal and OL Lyonnes.
Goalkeeper Selma Panengstuen and forward Gaupset reflect the draw of playing under Ho, as they followed him from their former club SK Brann to join Spurs. And Hanson, who played under Ho at Manchester United (where he was an assistant from 2020-2023), also cited the manager as a big part of the reason for her move.
The six summer additions will give Spurs greater depth and experience, while they also fit the identity Ho has established since taking over.
Spurs now look equipped to challenge for a place near the top of the table. The immediate target is to improve on last season’s fifth-place finish, rather than seriously challenge for the title, but if this summer proves to be the beginning of a run of similarly impressive transfer windows, that timeline could be shorter than expected.
The free transfer
A significant amount of top women’s talent allowed their contracts to run down as they moved clubs for free this summer.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas left Barcelona for London City Lionesses, Arsenal acquired defender Ona Batlle, while midfielder Georgia Stanway and goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez also moved to the Emirates for free. Elsewhere, Manchester City signed winger Beth Mead from Arsenal, Chelsea brought in full back Katie McCabe, and Liverpool signed young goalkeeper Khiara Keating from City.
Many clubs made use of short-term contracts reaching their natural conclusion, while some players had a strong incentive to seek new opportunities during a season before the 2027 World Cup next summer.
The influx of free transfers also allowed clubs to redirect their budgets towards a single high-profile addition. Spurs were able to break their transfer record to sign Sombath, while Felicia Schröder’s move to Real Madrid from BK Häcken commanded a significant fee (reported to be over $1.5 million), and Chelsea paid £500,000 to Barcelona to bring in young star Giulia Dragoni.
The result was an unusually fast transfer window, with many of the major deals completed before the end of July. Several teams had almost their entire squads assembled before August had even begun, leaving the final weeks of the window extremely quiet.
It also reflects a growing maturity in the women’s game. Clubs are seemingly becoming more strategic about contract cycles, players are increasingly willing to run down their deals to control their next move, and the market is beginning to resemble the more-established transfer economies seen elsewhere in football.
London City Lionesses
Once again, London City have been among the most active clubs in the transfer window, with billionaire owner Michele Kang continuing her ambitious plan to turn the club into one of the best in the world.
Kang has pulled out all the stops once again, attracting Putellas — the first Ballon d’Or winner to join a WSL club — as well as Mapi León, Mary Earps, Kadidiatou Diani and Nicole Anyomi. They join an already well-constructed squad featuring promising young talents such as Freya Godfrey, Izzy Goodwin, Poppy Pattinson and Lucía Corrales.
On paper, their squad is hugely impressive, and London City have done well to convince some of the world’s best players to buy into the ambitious project. However, turning a collection of elite individuals into a cohesive, well-drilled team capable of challenging the very best will take time.
It raises questions about how the club will manage its current 29-player squad within the WSL’s 25-player registration limit. Balancing minutes, squad harmony and expectations will be one of the biggest challenges facing the club this season and may be an unwanted hinderance of having such a big summer spend.
Nevertheless, the scale of the investment is another clear indication that Kang remains fully committed to the London City project, even as questions remain over the impact on her other venture, OL Lyonnes. The spending shows no signs of slowing down, but now the club need to turn that investment into results and prove that the enormous ambition behind the project can translate into success on the pitch.
LOSERS
Manchester United
United have done so little in the transfer window that they can’t fall much further. The club are moving in a new direction, with a focus on developing a pipeline of young talent from the academy, but that is a long-term strategy that carries the risk of short-term setbacks.
The plan would be far more effective if United were also making some additions in the transfer market. But they signed just four players — left back Andrea Medina, goalkeeper Janina Leitzig, winger Monica Jusu Bah, and midfielder Rebeca Bernal — and managed to lose several rotational options including a center back, leaving them with only two in the squad. — while allowing six to leave. Two goalkeepers departed on loan, while defenders Gabby George and Millie Turner, as well as midfielder Lisa Naalsund, also moved on permanently.
The biggest loss was last season’s top scorer, Melvine Malard, who joined Chelsea for a reported £800,000 fee, and that money has not been reinvested into the squad.
Given United ended last season with a threadbare squad during their incredible debut Champions League campaign, they could ill afford to lose players — particularly rotational options and a reliable goal scorer. And those issues have been compounded by the shock departure of manager Marc Skinner after five seasons.
His replacement, Eva Olid, now has a huge task to rebuild United into a top-three side without the depth, experience or investment required to do so. After a stellar season last year, it has been a frustrating summer for United fans and the squad appears even thinner than it was before.
Manchester City
City’s hopes of winning back-to-back WSL titles have been dampened by an underwhelming transfer window. Following their domestic triumph last season, they have done little to strengthen a squad that will now have to cope with the demands of a European campaign and decided to let impressive winger Kerolin join Barcelona for over £1.2 million.
The club also came close to losing star striker Bunny Shaw at the end of her contract, but ultimately the Jamaica international signed a new deal that sources said surpassed Chelsea’s proposed £1 million base salary, making her one of the highest-paid players in Europe. Perhaps that U-turn consumed a significant portion of City’s budget, because their other moves — Mead arriving from Arsenal on a free transfer and full back Niamh Charles joining for a reported fee of £500,000 from Chelsea — have done little to address the squad’s wider needs.
City had little depth in their squad last season, but did not have the additional demands of European football to worry about. Indeed, several of their most important players — Shaw, Vih injuries last season, leaving limited cover if multiple players are unavailable at once now
In midfield, they tried to move late for PSG’s Jennifer Echegini and Everton’s Ornella Vignola but came up short — though they replace backup goalkeeper Khiara Keating with England international Anna Moorhouse on a short-term loan from NWSL-side Orlando Pride. But if anything, like their local rivals, City’s squad looks significantly thinner heading into the new campaign.
Charlton
Despite their best efforts, newly promoted Charlton struggled to attract top-caliber talent. That is not a new problem, Championship sides often find it difficult to match the spending power of established WSL clubs when they take the step up, and the pattern of promoted teams immediately returning to the second tier is one Charlton will be desperate to avoid.
But their challenge would appear less severe if fellow promoted sides Birmingham City and Crystal Palace did not have greater financial renificant additions, including Birmingham’s signing of Turner and Naalsund from United, and Palace’s acquisition of Bethany England and Molly Bartrip from Spurs
With three new teams entering the WSL this season as part of the 14-team expansion, and only one team set to be relegated at the end of next season, Charlton’s inability to compete financially could leave them vulnerable.
Unless they can secure additional investment and strengthen in the January window, they risk heading straight back down again.
Source: www.espn.com
