From Champions League winners to exciting young talents, there have been plenty of eye-catching players on the move in this summer's transfer window
This summer's Women's Super League transfer window has had pretty much everything. It's had a record-breaking transaction, taking Olivia Smith to Arsenal for the first million pound fee in the women's game; it's had heroes of the Lionesses' European Championship triumph on the move, with Michelle Agyemang loaned back to Brighton and Chloe Kelly making her Arsenal switch permanent; and it's seen established superstars move to the English top-flight for the first time, including two Champions League winners in Fridolina Rolfo and Ellie Carpenter.
It means there are a lot of new faces for fans of the WSL to get to know this summer, be they players who have already made a real name for themselves overseas, or young, upcoming talents with the potential to be world-beaters. That intrigue permeates across the league, too, with it not just the big guns who have been making a splash in the market.
So, who are the new signings that fans should be keeping an eye on for the 2025-26 WSL season? GOAL picks out 10 names worth tracking as the new campaign begins…
Getty ImagesFridolina Rolfo (Manchester United)
Right up there as a contender for the biggest signing of the WSL window is Fridolina Rolfo, whose release from Barcelona earlier this summer was due to the club's financial issues, not poor performance. Aged 31, the Sweden international arrives at Manchester United on a free transfer and brings not only top-class quality to the table but also a ton of experience, the kind of which head coach Marc Skinner is keen to add to his team as they look to take that next step and become a serious contender for all domestic honours, as well as being a regular in the Champions League.
A two-time European champion who has lifted titles in Sweden, Germany and Spain, Rolfo is a deadly winger who can create for others or find the back of the net herself with remarkable consistency. Injuries once threatened to derail her career, with her going as far to describe her battle with them as a 'war' at one point, but she has shown incredible resilience and work ethic to come out on top in that department, to mark herself out as one of the best wide players in the game. She is exactly the kind of footballer that United need in order to go to the next level.
AdvertisementBHAFCCarla Camacho (Brighton)
There are always exciting prospects that shine at youth team level who fans are desperate to see get their chance in the senior game, and Carla Camacho has been one of them for a long time. The striker has been a goal-scoring sensation for Spain's age-group sides, playing a key role in their triumphs at the 2022 Under-17 World Cup and the 2023 U19 Euros, but that never translated into significant opportunities at Real Madrid, where very few youth prospects have been able to breakthrough since the club's entrance into the women's game. An ACL injury at the end of 2023 didn't help her cause, either.
Camacho did manage to net a few goals as a fringe player in the Spanish capital last year, having returned from that devastating setback, but it felt like the right time for her to move on this summer, in order to increase the chances of a serious senior breakthrough. It's at Brighton, renowned for trusting in youth, that the 20-year-old will hope that happens. If Seagulls head coach Dario Vidosic can help her progress towards her incredible potential, he'll have quite a player on his hands.
Getty ImagesMaya Hijikata (Aston Villa)
Ranked 18th on the 2022 Women's NXGN list, Maya Hijikata has been one of the most exciting prospects in the Japan youth set-up for several years, and now she has the opportunity to show her talent to an even greater audience following a summer switch to Aston Villa. It was likely last year that the 21-year-old firmly put herself on the radar of many clubs, after winning the Golden Boot in the U20 Women's Asian Cup in March and carrying that form into the U20 World Cup in September, where she scored another five goals. Her efforts in those tournaments helped Japan reach two finals.
But Hijikata is not just a top prospect who has exclusively performed well in youth football. The versatile playmaker firmly established herself in Tokyo Verdy Beleza's first team, helping them to win the title in her final season, and had broken into Japan's senior national team, debuting in October of last year, before departing for England. As more and more Japanese talent flocks to Europe, and especially the WSL, Hijikata is one of the most exciting new arrivals to keep an eye on.
GettyOlivia Smith (Arsenal)
Until Lizbeth Ovalle's record-breaking move to the Orlando Pride, Olivia Smith was not only the biggest signing of the summer in women's football, she was the biggest signing the sport had ever seen. It was back in July that Arsenal made the 20-year-old the first million pound player in the women's game, owing to some electric displays for an inconsistent Liverpool side in her only season on Merseyside.
This move continues the remarkable ascendancy that has characterised Smith's young career to date. After one superb season with Sporting CP, Liverpool paid a club-record fee to sign the forward and now, after one year with the Reds, Arsenal have followed suit. She isn't the sort of finished article one might expect a team to splash so much cash on, but it is potential that the Gunners have fallen for, with the Canada international having plenty of room for growth alongside her already game-changing ability.
It's going to be intriguing to see how Smith adapts to yet another step up in level, as she prepares to turn out for a team that won the Champions League back in May and will expect to challenge for the WSL title this term.