An "exceptional performance" was the perfect way for Ornella Vignola to announce herself on the Women's Super League stage. On her Everton debut against city rivals Liverpool at their iconic Anfield stadium, she scored three goals. The 20-year-old's hat-trick in a 4-1 win was also the first time an Evertonian had scored three in a Merseyside derby since the legendary Dixie Dean in September 1931.
Manchester United v Leicester team news: Manchester United (4-4-2): Tullis-Joyce; Riviere, Le Tissier, Janssen, Sandberg; Toone, Zigiotti Olme, Miyazawa, Bizet; Malard, Terland Subs: Middleton-Patel, Turner, Naalsund, Park, Griffiths Leicester (4-2-3-1): Leitzig; Ale, Kees, Boureille, Thibaud; Tierney, Cayman; Cain, Van Egmond, O'Brien; Eriksdottir Subs: Clark, Wellesley-Smith, Rantala, Payne, Las, McLoughlin, Sherwood, Ayane, Kaczmar Women's Super League 2025-26 previews No 10: Manchester United Women's Super League 2025-26 previews No 6: Leicester Share
Newly promoted London City Lionesses have made a number of statement signings as they embark on their first season in the top tier under French head coach Jocelyn Precheur. England international Nikita Parris, Dutch midfielder Danielle van de Donk and Spain defender Jana Fernandez are among the new recruits at a club that already boasted 200-cap Sweden icon Kosovare Asllani.
London City Lionesses have completed the signing of Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record transfer that sources have told ESPN is worth £1.43 million ($1.9m). The France international becomes London City's 16th signing of the summer after making the deadline day move. Geyoro's move to the Women's Super League (WSL) is the third time this window the women's world transfer record has been broken after Olivia Smith's £1m move to Arsenal and the £1.1m deal that took Mexico's Lizbeth Ovalle to Orlando Pride.
On today's pod: the international break is here, and England's squad raises more questions than answers. No Trent Alexander-Arnold, no Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, but a surprise return for Ruben Loftus-Cheek and call-ups for Elliot Anderson and Djed Spence. The panel asks how good England must be for us to learn anything new against Andorra before Tuesday's trip to Serbia.
England's players are gearing up for the start of a new domestic season after winning Euro 2025. In a summer to remember, the Lionesses beat Spain to win the European Championship for a second time in three years. But where do the Lionesses play their club football? Nineteen of the 23-woman squad are with clubs in England's Women's Super League. Anna Moorhouse, Esme Morgan and Jess Carter play in the United States, while midfielder Georgia Stanway is at Bayern Munich.
Women's Super League players will resume taking the knee this season after England's Lionesses abruptly stopped performing the symbolic gesture at last month's European Championship. England's players announced they would no longer be taking the knee before their semi-final against Italy because of the racist abuse aimed at Jess Carter during the tournament. The 27-year-old defender was targeted online by several individuals, with the first of what is expected to be several arrests in the case made on Thursday.
Miquel was appointed ahead of the 2024-25 season and guided Leicester to a 10th-place finish in the Women's Super League. Despite leading the Foxes to their best finish to date - earning 20 points from 22 matches and finishing 10 points ahead of relegated Crystal Palace, Leicester opted to make a change in leadership, electing for a new direction as they prepare for the upcoming season.
Just how impactful can a stunning Champions League win be on the psychology of a team that has struggled to challenge domestically in recent years? We are about to find out. Arsenal's battling run to Lisbon and subsequent victory over Barcelona ended a north London trophy drought, yet it has still been six years since the most decorated women's team in England won a Women's Super League title.
At Spurs I got enough support and time to kind of grow into things, Summanen says. I wasn't just thrown into the deep end right away. I got the right support, right help on and off the pitch to get to where I am now. It didn't just happen overnight, I just slowly, slowly kept building and that's still what I want to do, keep taking steps forward.
Many of the biggest clubs in the Women's Super League have joined a trial that will allow supporters to drink alcohol in the stands during the 2025-26 season. This follows a previous trial in lower leagues that demonstrated strong support from fans, with 66% of 51,000 spectators in favor. Holly Murdoch, the WSL Football COO, indicated that this initiative is part of a strategy to enhance the matchday experience, with no reported safety issues or changes in fan behavior during the trial.