The Women’s Super League returns this weekend after a superb summer of women’s football, capped off by England’s Euro 2022 victory at Wembley.
The vast majority of Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will be showcasing their talents in the upcoming WSL season which kicks off when Tottenham face Manchester United on Saturday lunchtime.
Emma Hayes’s Chelsea held off Arsenal by a solitary point last season and look a decent bet to add a fourth consecutive league title to their honours list, though Manchester City and Manchester United will be keen to challenge while Liverpool are back in the top flight after earning promotion from the Championship last term.
Here is our team-by-team preview of the new season.
Arsenal
Arsenal went so close to ending Chelsea’s reign as WSL champions last season but came up just short, ultimately losing out by a point. This term, Jonas Eidevall’s side will again be among the contenders.
Led by Leah Williamson and Beth Mead - two of England’s Euro 2022 mainstays - Arsenal have the quality and style to fight it out with Chelsea and Manchester City at the top of the table.
The Gunners will also be boosted by retaining the WSL’s all-time top goalscorer Vivianne Miedema who held talks with both Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain before committing her future to the North London outfit.
Aston Villa
Carla Ward’s side have pulled off a number of summer transfer window coups and so will be looking to improve on their ninth-placed finish in the WSL last season.
One of England’s Euro 2022 winners, Rachel Daly, has come back home after a spell in the NWSL with Houston Dash.
Although she played mostly at left-back for the Lionesses during the summer tournament, Daly is expected to play up front for the Villans while another summer signing, Simone Magill, recovers from injury.
Elsewhere, France international Kenza Dali has been added from Everton as has defender Danielle Turner. Another England Euro winner, Hannah Hampson, will play in goal behind what is shaping up to be a decent Villa backline.
Brighton and Hove Albion
It’s been a summer of big change at the south coast as Hope Powell embarks on her sixth season as Brighton manager.
Maya Le Tissier has departed for Manchester United, leaving a big gap at the back, while the likes of Inessa Kaagman and Emma Koivisto have also gone.
The Seagulls have brought in a raft of new players, led by the likes of Veatriki Sarri and Elisabeth Terland while Jorja Fox has come in on loan from Chelsea.
Rebekah Stott is also back after a year away. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2021 but is happily now in remission. She hopes to represent New Zealand at next summer’s World Cup.
The ambition at Brighton is admirable and they only just missed out on breaking their WSL record points total last term after a strong start.
Chelsea
Emma Hayes’s side have been WSL champions for the past three seasons in a row and are again the heavy favourites this time around.
Led by Lioness Fran Kirby and top scorer Sam Kerr, Chelsea claimed the trophy on the final day of last season ahead of Arsenal and look even stronger heading into this campaign.
Having signed six new players, including Canada international centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan and Serbian midfielder Jelena Cankovic, Chelsea are possessed of the strength in depth to seal another title and will look to make up for a disappointing Champions League campaign last time out when they exited at the group stages.
They will, however, be without club legend Ji So-yun, who has returned to South Korea.
Everton
Last season was a complete write-off for the Toffees, going through two permanent coaches as well as an interim one, before finishing a disappointing tenth.
New manager Brian Sorensen will therefore be tasked with moulding a new-look team with Everton dealing with the loss of goalkeeper Sandy MacIver, Danielle Turner and Simone Magill among others.
However, in Izzy Christiansen and Hanna Bennison - as well as new signing Katja Snoeijs - Everton are possessed of some of the best talents the WSL has to offer outside the top two teams.
Leicester City
Promoted to the WSL in 2021, Leicester were among the candidates for relegation throughout their maiden top-flight campaign but ultimately did just enough to avoid the drop.
Lydia Beford replaced long-term manager Jonathan Morgan in December, guiding the Foxes to safety, and has since signed a permanent contract at the club.
Having lost six of their final seven league games last season, it would be a surprise if Leicester weren’t looking over their shoulders again this term.
That said, they have added Willie Kirk as director of football and are seeking a cultural shift this season having staved off the threat of an immediate drop back down to the Championship.
Liverpool
Liverpool are back in the WSL after two seasons away, winning the Championship title by 11 points last term.
Manager Matt Beard, who won two WSL titles with Liverpool during his first stint at the club, was reappointed in May 2021 and has now led Liverpool back to the top flight.
Dutch forward, Shanice van de Sanden, is also back at the club having won three Champions League titles during her time away.
The star of the show will be Irish international Leanne Kiernan who is ready to lead the line for Beard, who she also played under at West Ham.
Manchester City
City are reeling from the departure of Keira Walsh, lost to Barcelona for a world-record fee on transfer deadline day. England’s midfield maestro was in the final year of her contract and joins the likes of Caroline Weir, Georgia Stanway and Lucy Bronze in leaving City during the off-season.
To rub salt in the wounds, Weir was the only goalscorer in the Champions League qualifying rounds as Real Madrid knocked City out before the group stages for a second consecutive season.
There has been a high turnover of players at City this summer with the likes of Deyna Castellanos, Laia Aleixandri, Leila Ouahabi and Mary Fowler arriving to replace those departing.
Gareth Taylor’s side kick off their campaign on Sunday at home against Arsenal - a fixture which could reveal how close City will be to the top two come the end of this season.
Manchester United
Manchester United again missed out on Champions League qualification last season, finishing fourth behind Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
They have recruited strongly over the summer, however, with the intention of closing the gap on rivals City and earning a place at Europe’s top table.
Maya Le Tissier has been added and comes with the reputation as one of the best emerging defenders in the game, while the likes of Adrian Leon, Aissatou Tounkara and Nikita Parris come with big expectations too.
In Ella Toone and Alessia Russo, Marc Skinner’s side have a couple of England favourites while Ona Batlle remains one of the best full-backs in the world.
However, without a glimpse of Champions League football, it may well become harder to entice that kind of talent into sticking around much longer.
Reading
Reading finished last season in eighth place, one down on the season before, as clubs with higher budgets begin to dominate the top end of the table.
It’s therefore likely to be another season of treading water for the Royals under long-serving manager Kelly Chambers, who has done well to keep the side competitive in testing circumstances.
Reading have added players like Brooke Hendrix, signed from Melbourne Victory, Becky Jane, Diane Caldwell and Celtic’s 40-goal striker Charlie Wellings over the course of the summer.
As last season’s 1-0 victory over champions Chelsea proved, on their day Reading can be a match for anyone.
Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs recorded their highest-ever league finish last season, ending up in fifth place, and they will be hoping to aim for the Champions League places again this time around.
A controversial victory over Manchester City early in the campaign showcased the potential in Rehanne Skinner’s squad but they ultimately could not sustain their form over the course of a Covid-disrupted campaign.
Spurs have ambition, however, as evidenced by the signing of Chelsea legend Drew Spence during the off-season.
Striker Celin Bizet Ildhusoy has also been brought in from Paris Saint-Germain as Spurs look to keep up with the Manchester sides as well as London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal.
West Ham United
The side now led by Paul Konchesky finished sixth last season - inside the top half - but face a real test on the opening weekend of the season away at Chelsea.
Last season’s manager, Olli Harder, has departed for new opportunities elsewhere while the club are also grappling with the loss of Gilly Flaherty to Liverpool.
The Hammers have brought in a couple of bright signings in the shape of Thea Kyvag and Viviane Asseyi but face a real test on the opening weekend of the season away at Chelsea.
There has been a high turnover of players at West Ham and it remains to be seen how well the new additions will settle.
A 5-0 pre-season defeat to newly-promoted Liverpool might well have set the alarm bells ringing.
