A changing of the guard at the sharp end of the WSL is on the horizon as a host of the game’s highest-profile stars get ready to depart their current teams this summer.
Top strikers whose careers have come to define the modern Women’s Super League era will bid farewell to their clubs over the course of the next few months. Sam Kerr has already confirmed her exit from Chelsea, Beth Mead will depart from Arsenal, and Khadija “Bunny” Shaw has committed herself to leaving Manchester City – decisions which will leave all three of women’s football’s powerhouses entering what is set to be one of the busiest and most dramatic transfer windows the league has ever seen.
Combined, the three have fired 313 WSL goals in total and will leave legacies of domestic and league silverware at each of their respective clubs, with Kerr solely being responsible for Chelsea winning five league titles during her tenure in west London.
A significant transfer merry-go-round is already starting to unfold, with claims Mead will move to the aforementioned City at the conclusion of her contract, which is due to run out next month, and with Chelsea having reportedly agreed terms with Shaw as they prepare to replace Kerr.
The likes of Tottenham captain Bethany England have also confirmed they are set to depart from the club after 32 league goals at the north Londoners, as has midfielder Katrina Gorry from West Ham United.
The changes are set to continue across the WSL, with retirements from the game expected to involve Chelsea’s Millie Bright, City’s Laura Coombs, and Aston Villa’s Lucy Staniforth too – showing the sheer magnitude of the shift set to take place in the Women’s Super League. With the addition of two teams next year, the vast majority of clubs will all be embarking on big rebuilding jobs, as it promises to be one of the most significant transfer windows in the history of the division.
