As the top women's leagues prepare to kick off for the 2025-26 season, GOAL reflects on a crazy summer of record-breaking spending
What a fascinating summer transfer window it has been for the women's game. There has been deadline-day drama, record-breaking spending and some huge names on the move – all while the European Championship, Africa Cup of Nations and Copa America were going on. It's been pretty hectic, to say the least.
There is still time for more business to occur, with the deadlines in some European leagues yet to pass, but the closure of one major window, that of the Women's Super League, means things will now start to wind down and clubs will be focused on the new seasons starting.
So, as that happens and the dust starts to settle on a wild few months, who has come out of this summer in good shape? And whose business has raised serious questions? GOAL runs through the winners and losers of the women's transfer window…
Getty ImagesLOSER: Barcelona
It's been a difficult summer, again, for Barcelona fans. While Marcus Rashford and Joan Garcia were both registered in time for the Catalans' first La Liga game as their financial constraints continue to cause problems, the women's side have watched player after player head out the exits, with only one new signing arriving to leave them with a rather depleted squad ahead of the new campaign.
It's all because of the Financial Fair Play rules that the club has to adhere to, a task made tricky by the fact that every department in this multi-sports organisation – from football to basketball to rugby – is factored into those regulations.
In previous years, other teams have been impacted by this situation, with the women's side left relatively untroubled by it all. Indeed, two years ago, the basketball team had to part ways with its star player, Nikola Mirotic, in order to meet the FFP rules and be able to register players. "We would like each section to have its own Fair Play and not depend on La Liga," Xavier O'Callaghan, Barca's head of professional sports, said last month. "But we must accept the rules that exist today.”
This year, Barca Femeni have been hit hard, with Fridolina Rolfo and Ellie Roebuck both having their contracts terminated early, by mutual consent, as all departments look to reduce their wage bills, while academy products such as Jana Fernandez, Martina Fernandez, Bruna Vilamala, Judit Pujols and Ona Baradad have all been sold for fees. It means the club has been able to meet the FFP rules, but it does leave the women's team at a real disadvantage going into the new season, especially if they want to come out on top in the Champions League again.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: London City Lionesses
This season, the relegation battle in the WSL is going to look quite different. Rather than the usual process of the bottom club being relegated, and the winners of the second-tier being promoted, not only will the top two in the newly-rebranded WSL 2 go up, but the team that finishes third also might, if they win a play-off with the team that finishes bottom of the WSL. There will be no automatic relegation spot in the top-flight, as it looks to expand.
Given most would expect the worst team in the WSL to beat the third-best in WSL 2, there's not as great a feeling of jeopardy as usual, which is good news for newly-promoted London City Lionesses, who will be looking to break the run of two successive seasons of the second-tier champion being immediately relegated.
Yet, given the transfer window London City have had, there are actually not many who would tip them to be in that relegation scrap. The club is owned by billionaire Michele Kang – who also owns the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and Lyon, the eight-time European champions – and that financial might, coupled with big ambitions, has resulted in London City making 15 signings.
England forward Nikita Parris, Spain centre-back Jana Fernandez, Italy defender Elena Linari and Netherlands midfielder Danielle van de Donk are just some of the established stars to have been recruited, with promising young players such as Freya Godfrey from Arsenal, Sophia Poor from Aston Villa and Isa Kardinaal from Ajax also added. Combined with the star quality that was already brought in last summer to propel the club to promotion, this doesn't look like a squad that will struggle – it looks like one that could find itself well inside the top half of the WSL on debut.
Getty Images SportLOSER: Man Utd
It's hard to bemoan the transfers Manchester United have made in this transfer window. Julia Zigiotti Olme is a classy midfielder who undoubtedly improves that area of the squad, as was evident in her performances in Champions League qualifying last month, while Fridolina Rolfo is a top-class footballer and the kind of game-changing talent that the Red Devils need if they are to really kick on and challenge for top honours on a regular basis. Jess Park, the club's stunning deadline-day addition, is another player of serious quality who adds to a forward line which head coach Marc Skinner was keen to strengthen.
The problem is that that is where United's recruitment ends. Despite the Red Devils having plenty of catching up to do to the likes of Chelsea, with their unmatched depth, and Arsenal, who just made Olivia Smith the first million-pound player in women's football history, it's hard to argue that they got significantly stronger this summer, particularly given the departure of Grace Clinton to City.
Skinner admitted he wanted two more signings through the door before the deadline passed, and that was both before Clinton's exit and prior to United moving one step closer to the Champions League proper, which will stretch this thin squad out. If the Red Devils want to take that next step in the women's game, they have to do more. This window was not good enough.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Ellie Roebuck
It's been a tough couple of years for Ellie Roebuck. The 2023-24 season, her eighth and final one with Manchester City, began with her out-of-favour before she then suffered an infarct in her occipital lobe, a type of stroke, which she was fortunately able to make a full recovery from. At the end of that campaign, she secured a big move to three-time European champions Barcelona and would play her first match in 19 months last December, in a win over Real Betis. But Roebuck would only feature once more for the Catalans before seeing her two-year contract terminated early, as the club trimmed down their wage bill to meet financial regulations.
It's not long since Roebuck was the most exciting goalkeeper in England. She broke through at City as an 18-year-old and made her England debut that same year, with her seemingly set to be the Lionesses' long-term No.1 in due course. However, Sarina Wiegman's decision to bring Mary Earps in from the international wilderness put that latter aim on hold, before events of the last two years left Roebuck unable to challenge for a spot while Hannah Hampton took over.
This summer's move to Aston Villa, then, could be the moment that things get back on track for Roebuck. After all, given how long she has been around, it's easy to forget she is still just 25 years old, only a year older than Hampton. If she can play regularly again at Villa, she should get back into the England picture in no time, given how good she is. Can she then battle the Lionesses' No.1 for her starting spot? That's too far ahead to think about right now, but it does feel like this move is a huge step in the right direction for Roebuck.
