.png?2.1.1 "Vokash")
4 hours ago
The women’s game’s first £1m signing, Olivia Smith, wasted nary clip astatine each successful demonstrating her worthy arsenic she scored a goal-of-the-season contender connected her debut for Arsenal. As nan Women’s Super League’s approaches its 2nd weekend, nan gauntlet has already been thrown down for nan 2nd and 3rd players to bid a seven-figure transportation interest to respond.
Chelsea’s caller signing, Alyssa Thompson, and nan newest presence astatine London City Lionesses, Grace Geyoro, are successful statement for their debuts connected Sunday. Chelsea recreation to Aston Villa and London City big Manchester United astatine midday.
The trio’s moves topped a melodramatic WSL summertime transportation model successful which grounds sums were spent. While astir deals continued to impact either mini undisclosed fees aliases free transfers, thing upwards of £6m was spent by WSL teams by nan adjacent of nan model connected 4 September, smashing each erstwhile records.
Days earlier, Fifa had revealed that world spending connected women’s shot transfers crossed nan summertime had surpassed $12m (£8.8m), an summation of much than 80% from nan summertime of 2024, moving past $10m for nan first time. But that snapshot was published earlier Thompson and Geyoro’s transfers were concluded and a flurry of different deadline-day deals.
For Chelsea, nan signing of Thompson was peculiarly tense. The USA winger’s erstwhile nine Angel City were adamant they did not want to waste her and only did truthful erstwhile it became clear that Thompson had her bosom group connected nan move. Instead, nan NWSL nine focused connected agreeing nan highest-possible transportation fee.
Extensive negotiations meant that Thompson did not moreover drawback a formation from California to London until little than 24 hours earlier nan English deadline of 11pm connected 4 September, and she yet put pen to insubstantial connected a five-year statement pinch astir an hr to spare. The paperwork was finalised truthful adjacent to nan extremity of nan model that nan clubs did not denote it until nan pursuing day, pinch nan upfront transportation interest understood to beryllium conscionable awkward of $1.5m (£1.1m) positive important add-ons.
After 20-year-old Thompson was introduced to nan Stamford Bridge crowd connected 5 September, nan Chelsea caput coach, Sonia Bompastor, said she hopes she tin “make her debut soon”, adding: “As Chelsea, to beryllium capable to pull nan champion players is simply a bully motion for nan future. We ne'er awkward distant from our ambitions.
“Alyssa is simply a awesome player, she is still young, but from a young property she has already a batch of potential, a batch of value and talent. It was important for america to fortify nan squad and nan team, and Alyssa was successful our shortlist of top-class players. It’s important to person value but besides extent – Alyssa will adhd both.”
Thompson’s departure has prompted a statement successful nan US astir nan NWSL’s net cap, pinch nan erstwhile USA defender Becky Sauerbrunn telling The Women’s Game podcast: “I deliberation we’ve reached a spot of an inflection constituent for nan NWSL. Something has to springiness aliases other we will proceed to suffer immoderate big-name players and players you want to build franchises around.”
It was not conscionable nan NWSL that mislaid big-name players to nan WSL this summer, though. Paris Saint-Germain had fought disconnected Chelsea’s attempts to motion Geyoro successful 2022, for what would person past been a world grounds of £425,000, and nan WSL champions person agelong held an liking successful nan midfielder. But connected deadline time it was London City Lionesses who persuaded PSG to waste for a world-record interest of €1.65m (£1.42m), though London City person denied reports that nan sum was that high. Regardless, it is different immense signing for nan WSL and Michele Kang’s recently promoted club.
after newsletter promotion
Geyoro was not progressive successful nan conclusion astatine nan Emirates successful London City’s first top-flight match, though location were debuts for summertime arrivals Katie Zelem, Nikita Parris and Elena Linari. Their first location fixture of nan play could spot Geyoro introduced, according to nan London City Lionesses caput coach, Jocelyn Prêcheur. “This is nan goal, of course,” he said. “I’m rather impressed really difficult she is moving astatine nan moment.
“We scheme [on Friday] to spot really she feels and if it’s reasonable aliases not to make her debut against Manchester United.”
Last week nan Frenchman, who managed Geyoro astatine PSG, had said: “She is simply a complete subordinate pinch a batch of experience. It has been a batch of talking each summertime to make this woody but I’m very satisfied.”
Energetic, afloat of acceleration and pinch 18 convention goals crossed nan past 2 campaigns for PSG, Geyoro’s tally was much than immoderate different midfielder successful France’s apical flight. The WSL surely has a caller group of world A-listers.
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·