Manchester City have been the first to show their cards in this transfer window as they announced three new signings this week.
It appears most others continue to work discretely on securing their desired acquisitions, and we can await disclosure on those in the weeks ahead.
In Manchester, it will be a trio of arrivals from the Spanish Primera División with the transfer gossip anticipating there to be a few more expected to follow.
Atletico defender Laia Aleixandri and forward Deyna Castellanos will join this summer alongside Barcelona’s Leila Ouahabi.
The three will be part of the overhaul of players at City, who have already announced the departure of a number of their key players as contracts expire.
Georgia Stanway has already announced that she will join Bayern Munich following her Euros campaign with the Lionesses. Fellow midfielder Caroline Weir and former Ballon d’Or winner Lucy Bronze will also depart, with new clubs yet to be confirmed.
Ouahabi will be the marquee signing that may also lead to a number of other interested players signing on the dotted line.
She has become a standout performer for both club and country over the last few seasons and will likely step straight into the centre of midfield.
She has a Champions League winner’s medal already to her name and that will certainly be something that City will be hoping she can help ensure becomes one of more to come.
That accolade also sits beside her five league trophies, seven Copa de la Reinas and two Supercopa Femininas titles. An impressive haul for a 29-year-old that still has plenty of years ahead of her – the next two of which will see her play in England’s top flight.
The ambitions of all three are to come to England in the hunt for more success and a club like City will hope those intentions will align with their expectations of more silverware.
City’s late surge of momentum at the end of the 2021/22 season ensured their Champions League qualification and that will undoubtedly be helping them entice a number of key acquisitions to the club this window.
It has been six years since City were crowned FAWSL Champions and although they finished last season with the League Cup trophy and a runners-up FA Cup medal, manager Gareth Taylor confirmed that the cup defeat on the final day of the season summed up an overall disappointing year.
🚨 Official | Leila Ouahabi signs a two-year deal with Manchester City after leaving FC Barcelona.
All the best for your new journey 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/KNjKonZaL1
— Barça Femení (@BarcaFem) June 8, 2022
They have slipped from second to third this past season in the league and before that they had to succumb to Chelsea and Arsenal’s dominance in the previous five campaigns. A demise that brought a need for big change that will also subsequently come with growing expectations and pressure for quick success.
With Chelsea’s new owners confirmed they have also made their first move this window. Announcing French defender Eve Perisset, who will join the club following the Euros. She becomes the first French internationalist to play for the Blues.
Chelsea will be part of the Women’s International Champions Cup this summer with the three other champions from around the world.
The Blues, Lyon and Mexico’s CF Monterrey will travel to the US to take on Portland Thorns.
Portland will host the competition as the NWSL champions from 2021 and also the holders of the WICC last year. The inaugural event took place in 2019, where Lyon were winners, with the 2020 competition unable to go ahead.
Changing times in SWPL
There will likely be some significant movement of players as the Scottish League enjoys a positive transition under the SPFL umbrella, whilst also continuing on its journey to enhance the professionalism across the game.
Some clubs are already looking to secure their biggest assets, not only from the lure of clubs down south or further afield, but also from close rivals as the small margins between the sides at the top continues to grow in competitiveness.
Rangers have made sure to secure some of their top performers this season, as Scotland quartet Nicola Docherty, Sam Kerr, Lizzie Arnot and Jenna Fife all signed extensions as the season came to a closee.
📝 #RangersFC are delighted to announce that Sam Kerr has signed a contract extension with the club.
➡️ Read More: https://t.co/KhJlrvomFi pic.twitter.com/gfebTgNUt5
— Rangers Women (@RangersWFC) May 30, 2022
Former captin Emma Brownlie and Ciara Grant both announced they will depart and join Hearts.
Given this will be Rangers’ first season in the Champions League, it is likely that they will look to add some depth from outside of Scotland ahead of the preliminary rounds that are due to begin in August.
Glasgow City had most of their key players sign extentions before the end of the season, but they have announced their first new arrival this week. Scotland youth Internationalist, Amy Muir, joins from Hibernian.
Less than two weeks since Celtic’s Scottish Cup win, they have already captured the signatures of four of their key players. Long servants Chloe Craig and captain Kellly Clark have agreed new deals, while Caitlin Hayes and Jacynta Galabadaarachchi also extend their stays with the Ghirls.
Some more significant signings are expected to be forthcoming in the weeks ahead.
History-makers set for Qatar
There will be three female referees officiating at this winter’s Qatar World Cup, marking the first time a female will take charge at a men’s World Cup finals.
Stéphanie Frappart of France, Rwanda’s Salima Mukansanga and Yoshimi Yamashita of Japan have been included on the list of 36 referees who will take the field in Qatar in November and December
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