Less than six weeks after England’s incredible triumph at Euro 2025, the majority of Sarina Wiegman’s victorious squad will be back in action for the first time since that dramatic win over Spain this weekend, as the 2025-26 edition of the Women’s Super League gets underway.
There hasn’t been too much transfer activity when it comes to the 23 Lionesses who reigned supreme in Switzerland, though Grace Clinton and Jess Park have been part of one of the most stunning deals of the summer, that which sent Clinton from Manchester United to Manchester City on deadline day, with Park going the opposite way. Many of those on the fringes of Wiegman’s squad have been on the move, though, and there have been other transfers that could impact some of England’s biggest stars.
It all means there are plenty of Lionesses who have particularly interesting stories to follow in the 2025-26 WSL season. Here, BALLGM picks out 10 narratives to follow over the next nine months…
Less than six weeks after England’s incredible triumph at Euro 2025, the majority of Sarina Wiegman’s victorious squad will be back in action for the first time since that dramatic win over Spain this weekend, as the 2025-26 edition of the Women’s Super League gets underway.
There hasn’t been too much transfer activity when it comes to the 23 Lionesses who reigned supreme in Switzerland, though Grace Clinton and Jess Park have been part of one of the most stunning deals of the summer, that which sent Clinton from Manchester United to Manchester City on deadline day, with Park going the opposite way. Many of those on the fringes of Wiegman’s squad have been on the move, though, and there have been other transfers that could impact some of England’s biggest stars.
It all means there are plenty of Lionesses who have particularly interesting stories to follow in the 2025-26 WSL season. Here, BALLGM picks out 10 narratives to follow over the next nine months…
It’s hard not to start with the stunning deal between the two Manchester clubs which took place on WSL deadline day, sending Grace Clinton from United to City. The 22-year-old was an interesting figure coming into this season already, given her contract was set to expire on the red side of Manchester at the end of the campaign. The situation is very different now, though, after she penned a contract until 2029 with City on Thursday.
Last year was Clinton’s first in the United first team, following loan spells with Bristol City and Tottenham. In the first half of the season, with Ella Toone having a significant spell on the sidelines due to injury, she was particularly impressive, excelling in the No.10 role and scoring decisive goals. When Toone returned in the New Year, though, head coach Marc Skinner sometimes struggled to fit both into his XI in an effective manner.
Now, Clinton heads to Man City and the question of where she fits into a line-up will be answered by Andree Jeglertz, who was appointed by the Cityzens earlier this summer. It’s clear the new boss has a plan for her or the club would not have completed such a deal. Given Vivianne Miedema has settled into that No.10 role, it may be as a box-to-box midfielder that Clinton is instead utilised. If so, that could have interesting implications at England level, where Georgia Stanway has a stronghold on the No.8 shirt.
There is similar intrigue surrounding Park’s move to United. Given Toone is a constant in the No.10 role, it could be as a winger that Park instead gets her opportunities across Manchester. That would make sense given Skinner’s comments last week that he was keen to add to his forward line before the end of the transfer window.
A versatile player who can play a variety of roles in midfield and the front three, there’s little doubt about Park’s ability to make her mark in red. Like Clinton, though, it could have implications on her England chances, suddenly making her a challenger for a wide role rather than a central one.
How could that impact her development as a player, too? Park is still only 23 years old, after all. It’s going to be fascinating to see how this transfer could shape her moving forward.
It’s going to be very interesting to see what the 2025-26 season might look like for Lucy Bronze, following Chelsea’s decision to sign a world-class right-back in Ellie Carpenter.
Few would anticipate that transfer relegating Bronze to a bench role. After all, she was one of the first signings Sonia Bompastor made ahead of her first campaign in charge of the Blues, having worked with the experienced England star at Lyon. Bompastor values all that Bronze brings to the table and immensely so, meaning it’s hard to see her assuming a reduced role. Equally, though, Carpenter would surely be a regular starter in this team, given her qualities.
Might a change in shape beckon for Chelsea? The Blues lined up in a 3-4-3 shape for the final two games of the 2024-25 season, something which would accommodate both Carpenter and Bronze. Both can play at wing-back or as wide centre-backs. Regardless, it’s going to be fascinating to see how the former’s arrival impacts the Lionesses star once she gets back from an injury that will rule her out of the first few weeks of the campaign.
It’s incredible to think that, for all her iconic moments in an England shirt, Chloe Kelly remains a regular substitute for her country, rather than being a starter. Could that change over the course of the upcoming season?
After joining Arsenal on loan for the latter half of last term, Kelly quickly muscled into the Gunners XI, often at the expense of England team-mate Beth Mead, and she was good value for that place too, providing goals and assists aplenty after settling so quickly.
If she can keep that up in the new season, having signed for Arsenal on a permanent basis earlier this summer, it could well lead to a greater role with England.
At points throughout the summer transfer window, it looked like Beth Mead could be set to be one of the Lionesses on the move. With just a year left on her contract at Arsenal, the 30-year-old was the subject of interest from the newly-promoted London City Lionesses, who have made a serious splash in the market this summer and have ambitions beyond just avoiding relegation.
However, Mead has opted to stay in north London and fight for her place in the Gunners’ XI, which she lost to Kelly in the second half of last season. Despite that, Mead remains an extremely important member of Arsenal’s squad, both because of non-footballing factors such as her leadership and experience, but also as a crucial part of the squad’s depth. Renee Slegers’ side will be fighting on four fronts again this year and, as such, Mead should still get plenty of minutes, regardless of whether she is in what is perceived as the ‘best’ XI.
It’ll be crucial for her to take those opportunities, too, to show Wiegman that she still deserves to be in the England line-up on a regular basis. Lauren James had a stronghold on that spot on the right wing during Euro 2025 but will start the new season on the sidelines.
It’s easy to forget that Ellie Roebuck is still just 25 years old. Having broken through at Manchester City as a teenager, the goalkeeper has so many more reps under her belt than her age might suggest – but in the time since her breakthrough, she’s also been through some real challenges. Those have come in the last two years especially, with Roebuck finding herself out of favour in Manchester and then suffering a type of stroke during the 2023-24 campaign.
Despite that worrying health scare, Roebuck was able to secure a move to Barcelona last summer and it was in Catalunya that she completed her return to action, ending a 19-month wait for a competitive appearance back in December. However, an overall lack of game time meant she stayed out of the England picture, having once been seen as the heir to the No.1 shirt.
That quest to return to the Lionesses’ set-up could come to an end in this new season, though. Roebuck is back in England, having signed for Aston Villa, and will be competing for a starting role from the get-go. If she can nail that down and showcase the quality that has long made her one of her country’s most highly-rated goalkeepers, it’d be a surprise if Wiegman didn’t hand her a recall.
No England player boosted their profile and reputation more this past summer than Michelle Agyemang, who went from relative unknown to national hero throughout the course of Euro 2025. Many, then, might’ve thought an Arsenal breakthrough was on the cards for the upcoming season, to follow her Lionesses one. Instead, the 19-year-old will spend the 2025-26 campaign back on loan at Brighton.
It was on the south coast that Agyemang got her first taste of regular WSL football last season, mainly as a substitute at first. After getting to grips with what head coach Dario Vidosic wanted from her within his unique system, she ended the year as a starter, a role both she and Arsenal will hope she assumes much more often this time around.
Agyemang has never been a regular starter in the top-flight and watching the England star trying to make that next step and reach that point is such an interesting narrative to follow over the course of the upcoming campaign, all while seeing how her career with the Lionesses develops.
Millie Bright was one of the most impressive players in the entirety of the WSL last year, before deciding to withdraw from selection for England’s Euro 2025 squad, citing mental and physical fatigue. The Lionesses performed admirably to win the tournament without her experience, or that of now-retired goalkeeping icon Mary Earps, but what happens now with Bright?
In many ways, it’s impossible to know at this moment. Further complicating the ability to make any predictions is the fact that Bright had knee surgery over the summer, with details about that procedure limited. It’s only as the new season unfolds that things will become clearer and we will understand just what Bright’s England future looks like, and whether she is ready to make herself available for selection for her country again.
Keira Walsh is one of England’s most important and most brilliant players – and yet, the Lionesses still lack a natural back-up for her in the holding midfield role. That looked like it was in the process of changing last year, when Wiegman handed Ruby Mace some call-ups and an eventual debut in December. However, a knee injury back in March ruined her chances of making the Euro 2025 squad.
Mace is a fantastic player. Aged 21, she is capable of playing as a centre-back or in holding midfield, but it is the latter she prefers and where she has more experience since her move to Leicester City in 2023, having spent time on the fringes of the first-teams at both Arsenal and Manchester City. That has been good news for England, who need more depth in that role.
Mace, of course, needs more experience with the Lionesses in order to become adequate cover for Walsh, especially because the demands of the role at England level are different. But if she can perform well again this season, she should get the opportunities at international level. Any doubts about her ability to do that, amid the off-pitch chaos at Leicester in recent weeks, have been alleviated by a late window move to Everton. Head coach Brian Sorensen is excellent at developing young players and that should continue with Mace.
Two years ago, Khiara Keating was the WSL’s breakout star, having become Man City’s starting goalkeeper on a regular basis as a 19-year-old, ahead of two senior internationals in Roebuck and Sandy MacIver. However, despite ending that season as the league’s youngest-ever Golden Glove winner, she spent most of the 2024-25 campaign as a back-up, rather than a starter, as the more experienced Ayaka Yamashita nailed down the No.1 shirt.
Keating is still raw. She is prone to mistakes, especially given how City play and the demands that it places on the goalkeeper. But she is clearly incredibly talented, with fantastic distribution and remarkable shot-stopping. For her to continue to develop as a prospect, it’s vital she plays. But will she?
Despite falling down the pecking order, the 21-year-old, who was part of England’s squad at Euro 2025, still made 14 appearances last term, including 12 in the WSL. Yamashita will likely go to the Asian Cup with Japan in the spring, too, opening the door for Keating to have a run of games if she hasn’t already taken the starting spot back. Opportunities should arise.
It will be fascinating to see how she takes them when they do, as she has the potential to be the future England No.1. However, if Roebuck can revive her international career this term, there will be serious competition among the goalkeepers just to be in Wiegman’s squad.
