Football News
Exciting transfer window will only exacerbate women’s football’s wealth gap
Alexis Putellas leads a host of stars expected to arrive in the WSL but smaller clubs will still struggle to keep paceThe whistle has blown on the 2025-26 season for the vast majority of women’s teams around the world, and attention now turns to the hullabaloo of the transfer window and another summer of rising wages, transfer fees and agents fees.This summer’s activity is likely to see the gap between the haves and the have-nots widen further. Last summer there was an 83.6% increase in global spending on transfer fees in women’s football year-on-year, according to Fifa. This included headline-grabbing moves such as London City Lionesses’ £1.43m purchase of Grace Geyoro from Paris Saint-Germain, , albeit London City have denied the figure is that high, and Arsenal’s landmark first £1m deal – the signing of Olivia Smith from Liverpool.Similarly, data published by the Football Association in April revealed that between 4 February 2025 and 3 February 2026, £3.8m was spent on agents fees by Women’s Super League clubs, a 75% increase on the previous year, more than £1m of which was by Chelsea, who spent more than 10 times as much on agents as Leicester or West Ham.Those respective 83.6% and 75% rises far exceed the rate of inflation and – crucially – the rate of increase in revenues, which rose by 25% year-on-year in global elite women’s sports, according to Deloitte. Most of the rise can be attributed to the top clubs and deals for the world’s best international players, while the reality for most WSL2 clubs is that they are hunting around for bargains in the free-transfer market. In the WSL, within the league’s rules, the minimum salary for players aged 23 and over is £42,500, while for those aged between 21 and 22 years old it is £34,700 and for those aged 18 to 20 it is £26,900. Meanwhile, according to the Athletic, Khadija “Bunny” Shaw’s new contract with Manchester City will see her paid up to £1.7m per year, a figure many would argue is justified for the WSL’s golden boot winner, but which is more than, for example, the total annual revenue of £1.39m that Leicester recorded in their most recent set of financial accounts via Companies House. Contract renewals and free transfers are typically where players can demand the highest wages, and most clubs have been busy negotiating those end-of-contract moves before deals involving a transfer fee ramp up upon the official opening of the transfer window. England’s opens on 16 June and closes on 3 September. That closing date means English clubs will have to conclude their business before kicking a ball but still be wary of the risk of their players being signed by clubs from other nations after the window shuts. The deadline to sign new players in the United States is 7 September, while in France and Spain it is 18 September. In Germany it is 1 September while in Sweden it is 31 August. Conversely, none of those other nations are opening their windows until July. In reality, most clubs’ summer work begins many months in advance, if not earlier, and several big clubs have already done some major deals. Georgia Stanway will join Arsenal at the start of July on a free from Bayern Munich with the London club also poised to add Géraldine Reuteler on a free from Eintracht Frankfurt. Tottenham are also expected to be ambitious in this window, as are newly promoted Birmingham, whose American owners have made no secret of their desire to be competitive in the WSL.Chelsea, meanwhile, are hunting for a striker and appear to be early favourites to sign the young Swede Felicia Schröder, who scored four goals across the two legs of May’s Europa Cup final. Her club, BK Häcken, are likely to demand something close to a world-record fee for the 19-year-old’s services. And in the most eye-catching development of the summer so far, London City have agreed personal terms with the Spain and Barcelona legend Alexia Putellas. That would be an extraordinary addition for Michele Kang’s big-spending club, who are also due to sign Mary Earps and Mapi León on free transfers. This all comes as the WSL2 side Durham – who beat London City in a league fixture just 18 months ago – warn that they will be forced to fold in under three weeks unless they can secure new investment to fund the 2026-27 season. The National Women’s Soccer League sides, plus Kang’s OL Lyonnes and London City, and the WSL’s top three of City, Arsenal and Chelsea, are operating in a different stratosphere financially to most clubs in England, let alone to clubs in less affluent regions of the world, and that trend will undeniably be this summer’s standout theme.Wombling free Chelsea will play their cup matches at the Cherry Red Records stadium in south-west London. The 9,000-seater venue is home of League One AFC Wimbledon. “While Stamford Bridge is our home, we wanted to ensure that our alternative venue is inclusive, convenient as well as being fully compliant with all competition regulations,” said Nadia Shahrestani, Chelsea’s business operations director.Summer camps The Professional Football Association’s pre-season training camps for out-of-contract players are to be extended to include a dedicated camp for WSL and WSL2 players. The camps start in the weeks of 15 July and 22 July.Melvine Malard scored a magnificent bicycle kick in a 1-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland that clinched France’s automatic qualification for next summer’s World Cup.“My watch has been telling me that I’m stressed, which I could have told it. I’m just a proud coach” – Wales head coach, Rhian Wilkinson, speaking to BBC Sport Wales after her side topped their World Cup qualifying group to secure a more favourable path in the playoffs.The Lionesses eased past Ukraine 3-0 in World Cup qualifying but Spain’s 6-1 victory in Iceland means England now head to the playoffs.USWNT head coach Emma Hayes reflected on “an experience I will never forget” after her side’s 1-0 win over Brazil was marred by eight red cards being handed out to home players and staff, including Kerolin, Ludmila and head coach Arthur Elias.Patrick Commins has more on the footballing wealth gap, with economist Tiya Banerjee observing that “richer countries tend to be more progressive and so more supportive of women and girls playing sport, providing a bigger talent pool”.And Suzanne Wrack on fan fallout from Katie McCabe’s move to Chelsea – anger is forgivable, but crossing the line into abuse should never be tolerated. Moving the Goalposts will be sent out once a week, on Wednesdays, in the close season but will be back on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September.
