Women's Super League

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Everton have announced that Karoline Olesen, Rikke Madsen, Maren Mjelde and Lauren Thomas will leave the club when their contracts expire at the end of June.

Danish midfielder Olesen, 20, is the longest serving of the quartet having joined from Fortuna Hjorring in the summer of 2023.

Madsen, 27, joined from US side North Carolina Courage in January 2024 and made her return to the side in March after giving birth.

Veteran former Chelsea defender Mjelde and ex-Blackburn winger Thomas arrived this season and have had limited playing time.

"I would like to thank all four players for their service throughout their time at Everton," said head coach Brian Sorensen.

"Karo, Ri, Maren and Thommo all immersed themselves into the culture at the club and were popular members of the squad.

"All four have contributed to our progress this season and leave with the best wishes of everyone at Everton."

Elizabeth Botcherby
BBC Sport journalist

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The identity of Manchester City's next permanent manager remains up in the air, with interim Nick Cushing stating there have been "no conversations" between himself and club about the role.

Cushing previously served as manager from 2013 to 2020, winning five trophies, and returned in March following the sacking of Gareth Taylor.

But while Saturday's meeting with Crystal Palace could be his final WSL game in charge of City, Cushing is determined to have a coaching role lined up before next season.

"There's be no conversations about post this season. As it stands, this is the last game," Cushing confirmed.

"I've really enjoyed this period. It's been challenging but it's also been really enjoyable. I spent December [to] February without a team and one thing I've learned about myself is I'm happy in a team. I'm really motivated to continue to be successful, coaching and being around players, planning big games – I've been at home in that moment.

"Post this, who knows. But my desire and intention is to be with a team from pre-season."

In April, City women's director of football Therese Sjogran told BBC she has not ruled out the possibility Cushing staying on, but the 40-year-old said talks have not yet been had.

"There has been no conversations about me continuing here," he said. "I have no concrete move but I have a desire. This has only fuelled it – playing in League Cup finals, chasing Champions League semi-finals.

"I have a huge desire to take some time with my family post World Sevens and then be back at it, hopefully with a team that matches my ambitions and my hunger to compete for trophies."

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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said her side "want to show ourselves at our best again" and bounce back from successive heavy defeats.

The Gunners face Manchester United on Saturday in a shootout to secure second place in the Women's Super League, which Arsenal will do if they avoid defeat.

"It's very important," Slegers said. "We want to secure second place in the table.

"There is so much motivation for us from different directions. We are going to put everything into that game tomorrow.

"From a table perspective it's very important, we will have so many fans backing us and we want to deliver our best for them. We want to show ourselves at our best again."

As well as the battle for second, the golden boot award is still to be decided, with Gunners forward Alessia Russo currently in the driving seat.

On Friday, Russo won the Football Writers' Association award for women's player of the season and Slegers said "it's a privilege to work with her."

"The obvious one is her goalscoring contributions which have been great and very important, she added.

"Also it is the things you see in the background, the way she trains, the way she treats people. She is very humble and respectful and always wants to learn.

"I believe when players and people are like that, you are more likely to get the best out of yourself and that's what she has been doing consistently."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Aston Villa manager Natalia Arroyo said they need to "work as hard as possible" to bring the club back to where it wants to be next season.

Villa were just a point above the relegation spot in March but four successive victories have seen them jump up to ninth in the table.

They hope to extend their strong finish to the season when they face Brighton in their final match on Saturday (12:30 BST kick-off).

"We are step-by-step, with good results, building our identity and that is important," said Arroyo.

"We are happy at the moment but we need to do some bigger analysis of the season, and the season before, at what these inconsistent results are showing us.

"We will look to add different types of players and we are still in this process. I don't expect big signings or big decisions to be tomorrow.

"We need to be ready to bring the right players in to build the best project possible. We need to first rest, take the right analysis and then from then on work as hard as possible to bring Villa where we want to be - which is not suffering at the end, with the risk of being relegated."

Elizabeth Botcherby
BBC Sport journalist

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On Saturday, West Ham could secure a top-six finish in the WSL for only the second time in their history.

Victory over 11th-placed Leicester, combined with Liverpool failing to pick up three points against Chelsea, would see West Ham snatch sixth place from the Reds and equal their previous best finish (2021-22).

However, while manager Rehanne Skinner says it would be a "fantastic" achievement, she is keen for her squad to "keep our feet on the ground".

"Where we end up at the end of the season is where we'll deserve to be. You can't cheat the table," she said.

"Equalling [2021-22] will be fantastic, especially given the way the game's evolved. That's really hard to do now given the teams in the league.

"We've got to keep our feet on the ground for one more game. We can't be thinking about the end result before we've played the game. If we set our sights on that, we'll miss the game in front of us."

Though keen to manage expectations ahead of the Leicester game, Skinner did praise the progress her side has made, particularly during the second half of the season.

West Ham won just two of their opening 10 games and began 2025 just three points clear of the relegation zone, but have picked up 15 points in their past 11 matches.

"This season it's probably evolved even more than we might have hoped. Our performances in the second half of the season have been a significant uplift. I'm really proud," she said.

"Every year is about evolving the team. We want to keep bringing in players who fit the culture and we want to make sure we've got more depth across every position.

"It's no secret our away form needs to improve if we're going to be really competitive. We've got several things right this year but it doesn't ever stop."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Liverpool can "take lots of confidence" from their narrow defeat by Chelsea in the Women's FA Cup semi-finals as they prepare to meet again on Saturday, says interim manager Amber Whiteley.

It will mark the end of an up-and-down campaign for Liverpool, who sacked manager Matt Beard in February, and it is still unknown whether Whiteley will continue to lead the team beyond Saturday's game (12:30 BST kick-off).

Under Whiteley, Liverpool knocked out Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup before losing 2-1 to Chelsea in the semi-finals.

England forward Aggie Beever-Jones scored a 94th-minute winner in that tie last month.

"We take lots of confidence from that game. It was a really good performance and we had good momentum in the first half," said Whiteley.

"It's an important game for us this weekend in terms of picking up points and trying to improve our league position. There's lots to play for.

"I said the next time we came up against them I wanted to see improvements. I want to see how far we've progressed. We want to make it as difficult as we can.

"It's not been the season we would have wanted but there's still a lot of positives to take from it. The response in the last few months has been brilliant."

Liverpool will be without injured forward Leanne Kiernan and defender Lucy Parry for the trip to Stamford Bridge to face the unbeaten WSL champions.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Manchester United "don't fear" Arsenal, says manager Marc Skinner, as they prepare for their final Women's Super League game of the season.

United have already secured Champions League football for next year but Saturday's result against Arsenal (12:30 BST kick-off) will affect what stage of the qualifying rounds they enter and will determine whether they finish second or third in the WSL table.

Arsenal have reached this season's Champions League final but have lost their last two WSL matches, conceding nine goals in the process.

"In the last few games they have probably been a bit distracted by getting into the Champions League final," said Skinner.

"We don't fear Arsenal, we respect them. We want to take on anyone. We really want to enjoy these last two games [including the FA Cup final]."

United captain Maya Le Tissier says finishing above Arsenal in the table is "important" for their mentality but is not concerned about the repercussions on their European qualifying campaign.

"Our team definitely performs better when we are under pressure a little bit. That's where we have fun," she said.

"It's Manchester United v Arsenal at the Emirates so it's a game we're really looking forward to and we want to win.

"As long as we get to the Champions League, that's all that matters. It doesn't really matter where you end up [in qualifying rounds]."

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

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Tottenham were "not ready to take the next step" in the Women's Super League this season, according to manager Robert Vilahamn.

After a top-half finish last season, Spurs are currently 10th in the WSL and have failed to win in their last 10 league games.

They visit Everton for the final match of a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, and Vilahamn admits his side were not good enough to build on their sixth place last year.

"When you look into this season, we were perhaps not ready to take the next step as an organisation and as players," he said.

"Losing key players and staff made us lose games. We need to take the next step now, and be sharper in game management. We know what we need to work on."

Vilahamn, however, says there are reasons to be positive as he looks ahead to his third campaign in charge of the north London club.

"If you want highs you have to accept the lows," he said. "The thing is the environment - you can see the players are buying into it, so if you want to take it to the next level you need this.

"I hope this will be a benefit for next season."

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

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Crystal Palace manager Leif Smerud says there is "life after" relegation and his players should not be too downhearted about dropping out of the Women's Super League.

Palace's debut top-flight campaign will end on Saturday away to Manchester City with their relegation already confirmed.

But Smerud says there is still optimism in the camp and that the team is looking forward to a fresh start in the Championship next season.

"The experience of relegation shows there is a life after," he said.

"For teams facing the relegation monster, you think it is really bad. But a new chapter starts, the team has a lot to play for.

"It is not difficult to motivate players, everyone is looking forward to starting a new season."

Smerud replaced Laura Kaminski as Palace manager at the start of March, however the 48-year-old Norwegian has won only one of his seven WSL matches in charge.

He declined to comment on his future at his media conference on Thursday, saying his focus was only on the game against Man City.

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

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Leicester manager Amandine Miquel says this season did not allow her to show her abilities as a manager amid a campaign of "struggle" in the Women's Super League.

Miquel took charge last summer, and has kept them in the WSL albeit while fighting against relegation throughout.

The Foxes are currently one point short of their total from last season with one game to go, at home to West Ham on Saturday.

Asked if this campaign has allowed her to show her best as a manager, Miquel said: "No I don't think it has. I have had all struggles you can have in your life, in one season.

"But people will look at the table, not in context. Just not being relegated is good enough, given everything we had to deal with. Hopefully we have a chance to start fresh next season, as a real first season."

Miquel, who joined Leicester from Reims for her first job outside of her native France, has had to deal with significant injuries and a lack of goal threat which saw the Foxes score just three times in their first 11 league matches.

Asked if this has been her hardest season as a coach, Miquel said: "Definitely. When you have to really struggle hard to get a starting 11 with no offensive players, it makes you think even harder on how to manage in that time. Any hard season is when you learn a lot."

Miquel however also wanted to focus on the positives of this season, including an improved defensive record which has seen Leicester concede 10 fewer league goals than in 2023-24.

But she said there would be plenty of change to come this summer in the transfer window, although she is not yet sure of her budget as she aims to extend Leicester's stay in the WSL.

"It's going to be a long transfer window, we must be calm and take our time to find right fit for positions," she said. "We do not know what squad we will have left, and the budget is not completely decided.

"I will spend my holiday in my office in Leicester to make sure we do not miss out on the right player."

Emma Smith
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton manager Brian Sorensen says he knows nothing about a rumoured move to Goodison Park for the women's team next season.

The Toffees host Tottenham at Walton Hall Park on Saturday in their final home game of the Women's Super League campaign.

Next season the men's side will leave Goodison Park for a new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, and there has been speculation that the women's team will permanently move into Goodison having played there occasionally previously.

But asked by BBC Sport whether the Spurs match will be their final game at Walton Hall, Sorensen said: "I know as much as you know. We will see what will happen."

Everton could finish as high as sixth in the WSL if they beat Spurs and other results go their way.

However they will face the London side without midfielders Hayley Ladd and Mel Lawley, who Sorensen said have come down with illness this week.

But a top-half finish would represent a strong season for Everton, who beat local rivals Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.

"We'll try to end as good as we can, there is a good vibe after beating Liverpool again," Sorensen said.

"It has been a long and tiring season, the longest I have had, so I am looking forward to a break.

"But we want to end on a high. We could end up in sixth, which no one would have thought 10 games ago."