Women's Super League

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Women's Championship club Southampton are set to sign young Aston Villa forward Georgia Mullett on loan in the January transfer window.

Mullett, 19, signed her first professional contract with Villa in September 2023 and has gone on to make eight appearances for the club.

The England youth international extended her contract with Villa in October 2024 after impressing in her first senior season.

She would become the fourth loan signing at Southampton after they brought in Arsenal's Vivienne Lia, Tottenham's Araya Dennis and Birmingham City's Siobhan Wilson this month.

Elsewhere in the second tier, London City Lionesses are set to sign Japan international Saki Kumagai and are still looking to bring in Arsenal's Freya Godfrey on loan.

Jonty Colman
BBC Sport journalist

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Everton manager Brian Sorensen says new signing Kelly Gago will cause problems for all defenders in the Women's Super League.

French forward Gago, 26, made her debut for the Toffees as a substitute in last Saturday's 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa after signing from Nantes last month.

Speaking on Gago's impressive cameo ahead of Sunday's WSL trip to West Ham (15:00 kick-off), Sorensen heaped praise on her new signing and tipped her to be a challenge for opponents up and down the division.

"She's going to be a hard one for every defender in the league I think," said Sorensen.

"She has that physicality and speed at the same time, it's a rare thing to find actually. She's impressed me with her technical ability, I think that from the research I was doing on her, that was the area that I thought was lacking but having her in here with the others, in tight spaces she's quite good.

"For her, it's just about learning, connecting with team-mates and understanding what we want when we defend, but also when we attack.

"I think she's going to give defenders a headache for sure."

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

• On team news, Sorensen said that defender Elise Stenevik is back training after four months out injured. Midfielder Karen Holmgaard is also making progress after missing the duration of the season so far.

• Sorensen said he is happy with the squad in terms of recruitment but has not ruled adding further signings before the window closes.

• The Everton boss says he expects a tough game away at West Ham this weekend, with the Hammers knocking Tottenham out of the Women's League Cup on Wednesday night.

• On the prospect of moving eight points clear of the relegation zone with a win on Sunday, Sorensen said his focus remains on getting the win, regardless of league position and the opponent.

• Goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan could make her 50th WSL appearance for Everton on Sunday. Sorensen has said she is one of "the best goalkeepers in the league."

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Manchester City's teenage forward Lily Murphy says it was "a dream come true" to score the winning goal against Manchester United in the League Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.

The 18-year-old, making her second start for the club, scored and provided an assist as she stole the show in her side's 2-1 win at Leigh Sports Village.

"It's a dream come true," she told BBC Radio Manchester. "You dream of these moments and to win the game as well tops it off completely.

"Coming up through the academy makes it even more special."

City manager Gareth Taylor, who has seen his side hit by a number of injuries to attacking players including Khadija Shaw, Lauren Hemp and Vivianne Miedema this season, was impressed with how Murphy took her opportunity.

"We're probably pushing her a bit more than we'd like to at this moment due to some of the injuries we've had but fair play to her, she's stepped up and done really well," he said.

"She's got a lot to improve on, she's really, really raw. But she has things like that pace, that finishing ability, to go on and have a really good career.

"She's really grounded, she's really humble, she's still learning."

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Crystal Palace have signed Finland midfielder Ria Oling from FC Rosengard.

The 30-year-old, who has 85 caps for her country, has signed a deal until June 2027.

Oling played mainly in Scandinavia and has over 100 appearances in the Sweden's top-flight with clubs Vaxja DFF and FC Rosengard.

The midfielder was also in the Finland squad that won the 2023 Cyprus Women's Cup.

"It's really exciting [to be here]," Oling said. "It's a really competitive league with good players and good teams. I feel like every game is going to be tough, so I'm looking forward to that."

Crystal Palace Head coach Laura Kaminski said: "Ria brings invaluable experience to the side, and we are delighted to have her here at Palace."

Crystal Palace are currently bottom of the WSL table, on five points.

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Brighton have appointed Rado Vidosic has been as women's and girls' head of coaching.

The 63-year-old - who is women's head coach Dario Vidosic's father - arrives at the club after six years at Melbourne City.

Rado worked as Melbourne City's academy technical director before taking on the role of women's head coach. He then managed the men's team and won the title with them.

He has previous managerial experience in Australia with Brisbane Roar, Sydney FC, Melbourne Victory, and Wellington Phoenix.

"This is an unbelievable opportunity and one that I'm really looking forward to," he said. "I'm excited to roll up my sleeves and help as much as I can.

"I'm so proud of what Dario and the wider coaching team have achieved so far, I'm here to provide guidance and help where I can."

Head coach Dario added, "We're really excited to welcome Rado to the coaching staff at Brighton.

"We've worked together previously at Melbourne City, and clearly he has had a huge influence on my career. I know first-hand the qualities he possesses which can help get the very best out of the players.

"He is a talented coach with a great depth of knowledge of the game and I have no doubt he will be incredibly influential in our aspirations to be successful for the remainder of the season and beyond."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Chelsea have agreed terms to sign USA defender Naomi Girma in a world record deal for a female footballer and it is the most significant of manager Sonia Bompastor’s tenure so far.

The 24-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best footballers in the world and is heading to Chelsea hoping to deliver more silverware.

Chelsea have won five WSL titles in a row but the Women’s Champions League crown has alluded them. It is the reason they appointed Bompastor as Emma Hayes’ successor following her success with Lyon in Europe.

It was French giants Lyon who posed the biggest threat in Chelsea’s move for Girma, so it is a real coup for the Blues to have held them off and they needed a world record fee of £900,000 to do so.

Girma adds quality and experience to a strong defensive unit at Chelsea. She also covers the loss of centre-back Kadeisha Buchanan, who is currently out with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

With Girma‘s arrival, Chelsea will be considered strong contenders for the Champions League, as well as favourites to win a sixth successive league title.

On the latest episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly podcast, Ellen White, Jen Beattie and Ben Haines discuss Jen's announcement that she is retiring from football.

The team take a look back at the career of the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender and what the future looks like post-football.

Plus hear an exclusive interview with Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor who explains how it feels to have a target on her back, the environment she's created at the club and her perfect start.

Plus Jen and Ellen share why they think Renee Slegers is the right fit to be the permanent manager at Arsenal and what went wrong for Manchester City in the derby.

Listen here

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Aston Villa hope to sign West Ham goalkeeper Katelin Talbert on loan this month.

Villa have been looking for a goalkeeper since New Zealand international Anna Leat left by mutual consent earlier this month and talks are ongoing with the two clubs.

Talbert spent last season on loan at Swedish club Djurgardens IF before joining Spurs for a short-term spell between September and December 2024.

The 26-year-old American is yet to make an appearance for West Ham since joining from Benfica in 2023.

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Scotland international Sandy MacIver has joined Washington Spirit from Manchester City on a three-year contract.

The 26-year-old goalkeeper made three appearances for City since joining from Everton in 2022.

"Thank you to all the players and support staff for making my time at this club a memorable one," MacIver posted on Instagram., external "I will miss being part of this team and wish everyone the best for the rest of the season.

"The fans are what make this club special, thank you for your incredible support. I've loved meeting you all at our games and your love for this team doesn't go unnoticed"

MacIver joins former City teammate Esme Morgan, who signed for the NWSL side in June.

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Women's Championship side Newcastle United have signed Aston Villa forward Freya Gregory on a permanent deal.

The 22-year-old spent the last two seasons on loan at Leicester City and Reading, before joining Southampton for another loan spell in the summer.

The England youth international made 12 appearances and scored twice during her time at Southampton before she was recalled earlier this month.

"To have this opportunity to play for such an ambitious, passionate club is something that I'm really excited for," Gregory told Newcastle's club website.

"I can't wait to be a part of the city and the club to see where this journey will take us all."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Celtic defender Caitlin Hayes is set to join Brighton in the Women's Super League this month.

The 29-year-old is due for a medical in Brighton in the coming days having been in advanced discussions over the weekend.

The Republic of Ireland international attracted interest from several clubs and held talks with Everton but Brighton fought off competition.

Hayes agreed a new three-year deal with Celtic in May 2023 so Brighton will pay a fee to bring her to the club.