Arsenal
With so many senior players’ contracts expiring in June, Arsenal’s focus was on preparing for the summer, when they are expected to go through a major rebuild. Therefore their quiet window was no surprise, but they will be relatively pleased to have brought in a star of the future, Smilla Holmberg, at right-back and to have fulfilled their need for a backup goalkeeper, with Barbora Votíkova’s deadline-day loan. Much more significant, though, is the positive progress they are understood to have made in their attempt to sign Georgia Stanway on a free at the end of the season, and big decisions such as not seeking to extend Katie McCabe’s stay, as they prepare to refresh the team.
Key ins: Smilla Holmberg (Hammarby), Barbora Votikova (Slavia Prague, loan)
Key outs: Jenna Nighswonger (Aston Villa, loan), Laila Harbert (Everton, loan)
Aston Villa
The signing of Oriane Jean-François from Chelsea, for a fee reportedly as high as £450,000, is a major move from Villa, whose results have not gone the way they would have wanted in 2026 but can who be satisfied with their acquisitions. They also brought in Jenna Nighswonger on loan from Arsenal. The United States defender arrived in England with a terrific reputation but things have not worked out for her in north London so, if Villa can help her settle in the WSL and enjoy her football again, that could be a clever move. They also recouped some cash with the sale of the England winger Katie Robinson to promotion-chasing Bristol City.
Key ins: Oriane Jean-François (Chelsea), Jenna Nighswonger (Arsenal, loan)
Key outs: Katie Robinson (Bristol City), Sarah Mayling (Leicester, loan)
Brighton
The main talking point of Brighton’s window centred around a player who did not leave: Fran Kirby. The former England forward was strongly linked with Juventus and sources have said the 32-year-old would have liked the chance to play Champions League football again, but Kirby was not for sale because of her importance to the team. Olaug Tvedten’s acquisition from Vålerenga should add a goalscoring threat to the midfield. But the relative insignificance of transfer news was put into perspective with the death of Brighton’s head of women’s and girls’ coaching Rado Vidošić, father of the head coach, Dario. The news affected everybody around the club.
Key ins: Olaug Tvedten (Vålerenga)
Key outs: Jorelyn Carabali (Boston Legacy FC)
Chelsea
The club have frequently been declared “winners” of transfer windows over the past decade but this one was a rare disappointment for Chelsea. They did not sign a player, despite trying to take Jennifer Echegini from Paris Saint-Germain. The lack of activity is partly down to their focus on summer plans, with significant incomings and outgoings expected, but it will frustrate their fans that they have not strengthened, amid poor form and with Sonia Bompastor taking the risky step of questioning their squad depth. PSG’s rejection of Chelsea’s bid for Echegini, coupled with Villa’s signing of Jean-François, meant Chelsea were unwilling to loan the England youth midfielder Lexi Potter to Leicester, who had offered more game time.
Key ins: None
Key outs: Oriane Jean-François (Aston Villa), Maika Hamano (Tottenham, loan)
Everton
Everton worked late into the night on Tuesday to complete their move for the Slovenia midfielder Zara Kramzar from Roma and the supporters will have been glad the deal went through after an otherwise quiet window. Kramzar has arrived on loan with an obligation to buy this summer. The arrivals of Hannah Blundell and Laila Harbert on loan from Manchester United and Arsenal respectively will help to strengthen the squad somewhat. Everton stood firm regarding Kelly Gago, insisting they would sell only if her release clause were met, so the want-away France forward is staying. The head coach Brian Sørensen was sacked on Wednesday.
Key ins: Zara Kramzar (Roma, loan), Hannah Blundell (Manchester United, loan), Laila Harbert (Arsenal, loan)
Key outs: Katie Robinson (loan ended), Hayley Ladd (Crystal Palace)
Leicester
The club have commonly had the lowest average age for a starting WSL XI this season, so their main aim was understood to be trying to add more experience, and they did that by buying Ashleigh Neville, Rachel Williams, Alisha Lehmann and Emma Jansson, and loaning Sarah Mayling from Aston Villa. Those five players have an average age of 31 and Leicester hope their maturity on and off the pitch can aid their quest to stay clear of the relegation playoff spot. The downside to Leicester’s window was losing their former captain Janice Cayman to PSV, but it is understood the motivation was predominantly to be nearer home and loved ones, and she moved with the club’s blessing and best wishes.
Key ins: Ashleigh Neville (Tottenham), Rachel Williams (Manchester United), Alisha Lehmann (Como), Emma Jansson (Rosengård), Sarah Mayling (Aston Villa, loan)
Key outs: Janice Cayman (PSV)
Liverpool
This was Liverpool’s best window in recent memory and went a long way towards making amends for last summer’s poor business and to mitigate for a lengthy injury list. The WSL’s bottom club, in danger of losing their top-flight status without major improvements, appear to have delivered with several quality additions. The Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, in particular, is a world-class signing. At the other end of the pitch, the arrivals of Martha Thomas and Anna Jøsendal should broaden the goal threat of the league’s second-lowest scorers, and Alice Bergström got off the mark with a goal last Sunday.
Key ins: Alice Bergstrom (Häcken), Aurélie Csillag (Freiburg), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Anna Jøsendal (Hammarby), Jennifer Falk (Häcken, loan), Martha Thomas (Tottenham, loan)
Key outs: Rafaela Borggräfe (Bayer Leverkusen, loan), Leanne Kiernan (Nottingham Forest, loan), Emilia Szymczak (loan ended)
London City Lionesses
The best bargain of this WSL window was surely London City’s signing of Delphine Cascarino on a free from San Diego Wave on a three-and-a-half-year deal. The 28-year-old France winger, a star of Euro 2025 and in the prime years of her career, would ordinarily have been expected to sign for a club competing to win the Champions League, so her arrival is a major coup for the WSL newcomers, who went on to complete a deadline-day move for the Danish midfielder Malou Marcetto from Madrid CFF. Several players also left Eder Maestre’s side on loan, including the young striker Lotta Lindström, who scored a hat-trick for Birmingham in WSL2 last weekend.
Key ins: Delphine Cascarino (San Diego Wave), Malou Marcetto (Madrid CFF)
Key outs: Sofia Jakobsson (Toluca), Katie Zelem (West Ham, loan), Lotta Lindström (Birmingham, loan)
Manchester City
The leaders completed the marquee signing of this window by bringing the US midfielder Sam Coffey to England. The women’s game was shocked when it was revealed on 8 January that the parties were in advanced talks. It was a flex of City’s muscles, at a time when they are racing away with the league title, and another sign of the rising trend of US players being keen to play in Europe. Very little else happened during this window for Andrée Jeglertz’s side but their fans will most likely think it did not need to, with things are going so smoothly. The club know they need to bolster their defensive depth in the summer if they are to challenge for the European title.
Key ins: Sam Coffey (Portland Thorns)
Key outs: None
Manchester United
This was a highly impressive window for United, who not only completed their business early but brought in players of a high calibre in positions where it was clear they needed to strengthen, the squad having looked a little thin, given that they are juggling European and domestic football. The Germany striker Lea Schüller elevates the forward line and appears to have settled quickly, as has Ellen Wangerheim, a 21-year-old who the club feel will get better and better.
Key ins: Ellen Wangerheim (Hammarby), Lea Schüller (Bayern Munich), Hanna Lundkvist (San Diego Wave)
Key outs: Rachel Williams (Leicester), Geyse (Club América), Hannah Blundell (Everton, loan)
Tottenham
Spurs acted swiftly to complete their business and the rest of the division are really starting to take Martin Ho’s side seriously, after they moved to within two points of second spot and a point of a European place. It is no secret that several Champions League clubs had been keen on Signe Gaupset, so Tottenham were delighted to secure her signature, and their interest in the Scandinavian market was also evident as they signed Hanna Wijk, Matilda Nildén and Julie Blakstad. The addition of Maika Hamano on loan from Chelsea feels like a low-risk but potentially high-reward move. The exit of a long-serving fan favourite, Ashleigh Neville, to Leicester was a tough pill for Tottenham supporters to swallow but the club were keen to evolve the age profile of the team.
Key ins: Matilda Nildén (Häcken), Hanna Wijk (Häcken), Julie Blakstad (Hammarby), Signe Gaupset (Brann), Maika Hamano (Chelsea, loan)
Key outs: Ashleigh Neville (Leicester), Martha Thomas (Liverpool, loan), Kit Graham (Ipswich, loan)
West Ham
The club had a decent, if unspectacular, window and raised eyebrows with the signing of the Norway defender Tuva Hansen from Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old is very well thought of across the Bundesliga. They also recouped significant money with the sale of Anouk Denton to the American side Bay FC, in a club-record sale understood to be about £200,000. West Ham also held on to their top scorer, Shekiera Martinez, but whether or not they have done enough to stave off the threat of relegation remains to be seen, particularly in light of Liverpool’s impressive additions.
Key ins: Tuva Hansen (Bayern Munich), Ylinn Tennebø (Vålerenga), Ria Bose (Sporting), Katie Zelem (London City), Estelle Cascarino (Juventus, loan)
Key outs: Anouk Denton (Bay FC), Manuela Paví (Toluca), Amber Tysiak (Union Berlin)
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