Women's Super League

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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers said a conversation with "thoughts, feelings and questions from both ends" took place with Chloe Kelly before she joined the club from Manchester City on loan.

The England forward was a late addition on Thursday's deadline day as the Gunners beat competition from Manchester United to sign the 27-year-old.

"It was a conversation with thoughts, feelings and questions from both ends, and it was very good," Slegers said.

"We both opened up – I tried to open up about what Arsenal is and what she could mean for us, and she opened up about what she can bring to us and what her ambitions are, so it was a very good conversation."

Kelly is ineligible to play on Sunday when Arsenal face City in the Women's Super League.

On how Kelly is after posting emotional statements on social media surrounding her situation at City, Slegers added: "I think those questions, you're better off asking her because I haven't spoken to her much yet about the situation

"We are convinced that she will come to us, to Arsenal, to contribute and show her qualities and ambitions, so we're very excited."

Here are more key lines from Slegers before Sunday's game (kick-off 12:00 GMT)

• She confirmed Kim Little has had surgery on a broken finger suffered against Crystal Palace after "pushing through" two games.

• On new signing Jenna Nighswonger, she said: "She's at a very high level and we're also very excited to see how we can grow her and where her potential brings her."

• On another tough test in Manchester City so soon after facing Chelsea: "We believe in what we're doing, we trust the players, we have a great squad, we do things together, we're competing on four fronts. Obviously, we were gutted with the loss last Sunday but that's the reality now and we're going to push forward."

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Liverpool have signed Chelsea left-back Alejandra Bernabe on loan for the remainder of the season.

The 23-year-old joined Chelsea from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2023 and signed a three-year deal with the Blues.

She made her Chelsea debut in 2024 and featured in Wednesday's 5-0 win over Durham in the Women's League Cup quarter-finals.

"For me it's a pleasure to be here," Bernabe said. "I know that this is a big club and also I hear the love from outside about this big club, so it's a pleasure to be coming here.

"I've had a look around and it's so beautiful. I know it has a history and the amazing facilities they have and everything. I think it's the perfect place...it's just amazing and I can't wait to get started."

Bernabe is Liverpool's third loan signing of the January transfer window after the arrivals of Bayern Munich midfielder Sam Kerr and Chelsea midfielder Julia Bartel.

Manchester City boss Gareth Taylor said he is not concerned that Chloe Kelly has moved to a team that could challenge his side for trophies and Champions League places.

Kelly joined rivals Arsenal in a loan deal on deadline day after being the subject of heavy transfer speculation throughout the past month.

Arsenal are fourth in the Women's Super League table and currently out of the Champions League qualification spots.

However, the Gunners sit just one point behind City and have a better goal difference than Taylor's side.

Asked if he was concerned Kelly's move could strengthen Arsenal's position, Taylor said: "No, not really. I think once a player expresses a desire to leave and try to go on to a move that was the right one for her, I think we have to look at what the best offer was.

"Arsenal made the best offer so it was a simple one for us."

Kelly will not be available to play against her parent club when City host Arsenal in the WSL on Sunday (12:00 GMT kick-off).

Here are more key lines from Taylor's news conference:

• He is looking forward to working with the new signings that have joined the club.

• New signing Laura Wienroither is "adaptable" and "comfortable in playing a few positions.

• Taylor said City's 4-2 win over Aston Villa on Saturday was "very impressive".

• Laura Coombs will not be available this weekend after picking up an injury in the warm-up before the Villa game.

• Khadija Shaw is "pretty close" to being able to play a full 90 minutes.

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Tottenham boss Robert Vilahamn believes Bethany England "should be one of the candidates" for a place in Sarina Wiegman's England squad.

England is Spurs' top goalscorer this season with seven goal in the Women's Super League this season, only two behind Manchester City's Khadeija Shaw, who tops the standings with nine goals.

"She's performing very well right now and the way she's playing is massive for us," Vilahamn said. "I am not sure how she [Wiegman] wants to use the nine role and if she brings Beth back to the national team. She should be one of the candidates, absolutely.

"All teams need their goalscorer. Last season it was Martha Thomas. This season it's been Bethany. You need one of them to be consistent. The best thing about England is how she is as a person and a leader. She's a great role model for the younger ones to represent the club."

Here are more key lines from Vilahamn before Sunday's game against Manchester United (kick-off 18:45 GMT)

• New signing Josefine Rybrink will be in the squad and could make her debut.

• On playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he said: "Playing at that stadium in front of our fans is the best game every year".

• Vilahamn said Sunday's game is a good test "to see where we are at" and added: "we had a tough spell of games after summer when we played the big teams. I am ready to go again to see if we have a good chance to get a win."

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Liverpool boss Matt Beard has asked for referees to protect players after as he criticised a challenge on Oliva Smith by Leicester defender CJ Bott.

Earlier this month, Beard said Smith is "probably going to get hurt" if challenges against her continues to go unpunished.

"If I look at the tackle at Leicester, I mean, you've seen the scar on the top of the thigh down to the knee - it's a red card," he said on Friday.

Speaking before Liverpool's game against West Ham on Sunday (14:00 GMT), Beard said Smith had been "upset at times because she feels targeted".

"I remember saying to her against Brighton it's a compliment because seems obviously fear her," he added.

"But it won't be a compliment if she ends up seriously injured. All we ask, and it's not just me, all we ask is that the players are protected."

Here are more key lines from Beard's news conference:

• He said the "gap is just getting bigger and bigger" between Chelsea and the rest of the league after the Blues signed Naomi Girma for a world-record fee.

• Jasmine Matthews and Niamh Fahey remain sidelined.

• Fuka Nagano missed the mid-week FA Cup game against West Ham with a fever, but she should be available on Sunday.

• Despite winning 5-0 in the FA Cup on Wednesday, Beard said the Hammer are "always tough to play against".

• He also added that "the league and the cup completely different pressures".

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West Ham boss Rehanne Skinner said "there are a lot of incentives" when her side face Liverpool on Sunday for the second time in four days.

The Hammers were beaten 5-0 by Matt Beard's side in the FA Cup on Wednesday but face them again this weekend in the Women's Super League.

"I'm glad we are playing the game at the weekend and so are the players," Skinner said.

"It's an opportunity for us to show what we are capable of. We are capable of causing them problems and we want to go and show them what we are about.

"It puts us in a fantastic position where the league table is concerned. There are a lot of incentives for this game for sure."

Here are more key lines from Skinner's news conference before Sunday's game (kick-off 14:00 GMT)

• Overall Skinner was happy with West Ham's January transfer activity, though she said the club tried to sign a defensive midfielder: "We were openly looking for more of a defensive midfeidler to support where we are at but we didn't feel we could get what we needed in this window."

• Skinner feels her side "have been improving every single game" and with consistency "there are lots of teams around us where we can pick up points".

• On Chelsea signing Naomi Girma for a record women's transfer fee, Skinner said: "For most people in the league it is important to say the money that has been spent on two transfers for two players is more than half of the WSL's whole budget."

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New Aston Villa boss Natalia Arroyo said her aim in the coming months is to bridge the gap between the Women's Super League top teams, not in terms of points, but performances.

The 38-year-old Spaniard, who left Real Sociedad at the end of the 2023-24 season, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal and takes charge of the team for the first time against WSL leaders Chelsea on Sunday.

"It has been three big days, exciting days," Arroyo said.

"There are enough points to think that we can achieve bigger positions. Our mission and our goal in these months is to make this gap shorter. Not in terms of points, but feeling we can really compete with them in every game.

"Some results against these teams were good, others not. Why not understand that we can compete against them?"

Here are more key lines from Arroyo's news conference before Sunday's game (14:30 GMT)

• Facing Chelsea in her first game is "a big challenge" but Arroyo wants her team to "be brave and trust the process".

• On why she took the job at Villa, she added: "The club has a big history, it is a great project and they are really trying to make the women's team bigger here year after year. It finally happened and it's like a dream come true."

• On her playing style and what fans can expect: "Hopefully we can see a team that wants to have the ball, that has clear intentions with the ball, to score as many goals as possible and when we don't have the ball to press as aggressive and as high as possible."

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Sonia Bompastor, Marc Skinner and Robert Vilahamn have been nominated for the Women's Super League manager of the month award for January.

Bompastor's Chelsea side have extended their unbeaten WSL record this season to 12 matches with wins over Arsenal, West Ham and Brighton.

However, the Blues dropped points for the first time this month when they drew at Leicester.

Skinner, meanwhile, guided Manchester United to four WSL wins out of four in January, including a 4-2 victory against rivals Manchester City.

Tottenham boss Vilahamn has helped Spurs clinch 13 points out of a possible 16 and moved up to sixth in the table with wins over Crystal Palace, Leicester and Everton.

For the player of the month award, Tottenham's Bethany England, Manchester United's Ella Toone and Elisabeth Terland, Chelsea's Millie Bright and Nathalie Bjorn, Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema, Liverpool's Olivia Smith and Leicester's Julie Thibaud have all been nominated.

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

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Brighton boss Dario Vidosic hopes new signing Nadine Noordam will "play a big part" during the second half of the season.

The Dutch midfielder, 26, completed the move from Ajax on deadline day and Vidosic believes she will bring "a lot of quality" to Brighton's midfield.

"She's played in the in the Champions League, played for Ajax this season - competing for a title. So she's used to that sort of pressure," he said ahead of Brighton's game against Crystal Palace on Sunday (14:00 GMT kick-off).

"I'm hoping that she'll play a big part in this second part of the season and in the future."

Vidosic said Noordam has completed her medical, but the club are waiting for visa clearance before she can join the squad.

Here are more key lines from Vidosic's news conference:

• He said it's "tough" in the January transfer window, but that he's "happy" with Brighton's business.

• Vidosic is hopeful Fran Kirby will return to action soon.

• The Brighton boss said it's up to other clubs to "bridge the gap" with Chelsea after they signed Naomi Girma for a world-record fee.

• Brighton's mid-week 4-1 victory over Durham will "lift the confidence" for his side.

• But Vidosic said they would not "fall into the trap of thinking they're at the bottom, this will be easy" against Crystal Palace.

Emily Salley
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton boss Brian Sorensen said Megan Finnegan is "devastated" after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury.

The Everton captain went down in the opening 10 minutes of Everton's 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup fourth round on Wednesday.

"Meg is tough but of course she's devastated. We all are," Sorensen said.

Speaking ahead of Everton's WSL game against Leicester on Sunday (14:00 GMT kick-off), Sorensen said losing a third player to an ACL injury this season was "not ideal".

"In the three years I've been here we hadn't had any [ACL injures] until this season, and that was number three so it's not ideal," he said.

"From a playing point of view, we will manage. It's definitely not ideal to lose your captain but we'll manage. It's probably more around mentality and what she means to the squad."

Here are more key lines from Sorensen's news conference:

• Sorensen said Everton were "busy" on transfer deadline, "especially after we found out that Meg was was going to be out for extended time".

• He added: "We still managed to secure one from what we lost in Meg, so we'll present that in in due time".

• The Everton boss said there is a strategic approach to signings in the making now "because now we actually have owners that put in the money and investment, and want to do right".

• The team are "working super hard" to have more goalscorers, but Sorensen also acknowledged goals "don't come easy in this league".

• He expects an "extremely tough test" against Leicester.

Ellie Thomason
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

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Manchester United boss Marc Skinner said having the world's most expensive female player Naomi Girma is brilliant for the Women's Super League, but the spending "skews the market".

"With my women's football hat on it is fantastic that we can get to this level of investment in the women's game," Skinner said.

"Chelsea are top of the league and clear and as Manchester United manager I want to be ultra competitive and try and push them as much as possible. I also understand I have been in it when there is no money in the game. I am happy the investment has come in.

"Does it widen the gap? It definitely skews the market. It's fantastic for the women's game, the growth and development in such a short period of time. But we may potentially see fallouts and how it affects everybody else.

"It has to make you try harder. That is the reality. On the pitch you have to find solutions, you have to adapt. I don't know if many players of that level have been signed in these types of window before. For us it is a challenge but all we can do and all we will ever do is just be us, focus on what we can control."

Here are other lines from his news conference before Sunday's game against Tottenham (kick-off 18:45 GMT).

• He said Manchester United "can't go and spend those type of fees" and have to "recruit smartly" and keep being "young, energetic and a little bit rebellious".

• On missing out on signing Chloe Kelly on deadline day, he said: "Chloe Kelly is an Arsenal player so doesn't affect us now. I am really happy with the forward options we have."

• Geyse remains on compassionate leave and is in "a moment of grieving" but has a meeting with the wellbeing team on Friday to discuss her return.

• He said the team performed well in Grace Clinton's absence and have deserved to keep their places, but Cinton still has a "starting role" and is "hugely important".

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Tottenham have confirmed the departure of winger Shuang Wang on a permanent transfer to Wuhan Chegu Jiangda WFC.

The China international joined Spurs in January 2024 and made 11 appearances for the club in all competitions.

She returns to her native China having not featured for Tottenham since the FA Cup final in may.

A statement from Spurs said: "We thank Shuang for her service and wish her well for the future."

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Arsenal manager Renee Slegers says Chloe Kelly will be a "great addition" to her side for the second half of the season.

After a chaotic transfer saga, Kelly joined Arsenal on loan from Manchester City on transfer deadline day.

"Chloe is an exciting attacking player and will be a great addition to our squad as we approach the second half of the season," said Slegers.

She's direct and explosive, with huge natural talent and ability. We're all looking forward to working with Chloe as an Arsenal player in the coming months."

Arsenal's director of women's football, Clare Wheetley, said she was "thrilled" to welcome academy graduate Kelly back to the club.

She said: "As an academy graduate, we've been proud to see the career she's gone on enjoy, both at club and international level.

"We're delighted she'll be representing Arsenal again as we aim to compete for honours this season."

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The January transfer window for the Women's Super League is now closed, but that doesn't mean we've had all the deals announced.

We are still waiting for official confirmation from Chelsea of their expected signing of England midfielder Keira Walsh from Barcelona.

Elsewhere, Liverpool could confirm the loan signing of Chelsea left-back Alejandra Bernabe.

We're awaiting confirmation on those, but there have been quite a few deals done today - including the last-minute announcement of Chloe Kelly's loan move to Arsenal from Manchester City.

Man City brought in Arsenal's Laura Wienroither on loan, while the Gunners signed United States defender Jenna Nighswonger on a permanent deal.

Crystal Palace signed Allysa Swaby from AC Milan and loaned Chelsea's Aniek Nowen.

Leicester City, meanwhile, recruited Iceland striker Hlin Eiriksdottir from Kristianstads.

With Crystal Palace having completed the signing of Jamaica defender Allyson Swaby from AC Milan, here are the "ins" and "outs" for Women's Super League clubs in this window.

Palace have now recruited three players on permanent deals, the same number as Manchester City and Tottenham.

The January window closes at 23:00 GMT.