News

• Alessia Russo is officially the Barclays Women’s Super League top goalscorer for the 2024/25 season.
• Russo netted 12 goals throughout the campaign, beginning with a goal against her former club, Manchester United, in November. She continued her scoring run with five consecutive matches finding the back of the net.
• Her final WSL goal came in April during an away match against Aston Villa.
• With 36 goals in 71 appearances for Arsenal, Russo has become the club's second all-time top scorer at Emirates Stadium, trailing only behind Beth Mead.
• Alessia Russo also won the Football Writers' awards. The award is presented by the Football Writers' Association (FWA) for the best female football player in England this season. She beat last year's winner Bunny Shaw to become only the second Arsenal player to win the award. Her Arsenal teammate Mariona Caldentey finished third, Chelsea's Millie Bright fourth

• Chelsea Achieves Historic Unbeaten Season: Chelsea with the new head coach Sonia Bompastor who replaced Emma Hayes, completed the 2024–25 Women's Super League (WSL) season without a single loss, finishing with 19 wins and 3 draws, totaling a record 60 points. This marks the first time a team has gone unbeaten in a 22-match WSL campaign. This season's triumph marks Chelsea's sixth straight WSL title and their eighth overall, solidifying their dominance in English women's football.
• Arsenal Secures Second Place: Arsenal clinched the runner-up position with a thrilling 4-3 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. That means they will need just one round to qualify to Champions League group stage. Manchester United on third place will need two.
• Manchester United Finishes Third: Despite a late comeback attempt with goals from Elisabeth Terland and Maya Le Tissier, Manchester United fell short against Arsenal, concluding the season in third place.
• Crystal Palace Relegated: Crystal Palace ended the season at the bottom of the table and will be relegated. They will be replaced by the London City Lionesses in the next WSL season.

For more detailed information, you can read the full article here: Reuters – Champions Chelsea complete unbeaten WSL league season, Arsenal finish second.

• Angel City FC defender Savy King collapsed in the 74th minute of the NWSL match against Utah Royals and was stretchered off the field.
• Trainers and medical staff treated King for approximately 10 minutes on the field before she was transported by EMS to a hospital. Angel City later confirmed she was "responsive and undergoing further evaluation."
• The incident left players visibly shaken. After the match, both Angel City and Utah Royals players joined in a circle at midfield to pray for King’s recovery.

• Sophie Ingle Departs Chelsea After Contract Expiry: Chelsea FC Women have announced the departure of midfielder Sophie Ingle following the conclusion of her contract.
• Emotional Farewell from the Club: The club paid tribute to Ingle, acknowledging her significant contributions and expressing gratitude for her dedication during her tenure.
• Zecira Musovic to Leave Chelsea After Season's End: Swedish national team goalkeeper Zecira Musovic has decided to part ways with Chelsea FC Women at the conclusion of the current season, opting not to extend her contract.
• Chelsea Acknowledges Musovic's Contributions: Paul Green, head of Chelsea's women's section, expressed the club's support, saying, "We are sad to see Zecira move on but understand the reasons behind her decision. We wish her all the best with her pregnancy and in her future football career."
• Impressive Tenure at Chelsea: Since joining from Rosengård in January 2021, Musovic has been instrumental in Chelsea's success, contributing to five consecutive league titles, three FA Cup victories, and two League Cup wins.
• Pregnancy Announcement and Career Pause: In February, Musovic announced her pregnancy, leading to a temporary pause in her football career. The next steps in her professional journey remain undisclosed.

For more detailed information, you can read the full article here: Goal.com Article and  SVT Sport

•  Rachel Corsie, Jordan Nobbs, Danielle Turner, and Maz Pacheco will all depart Aston Villa at the end of the 2024–25 season upon the expiration of their contracts in June.
• Scotland international Rachel Corsie, 35, has been limited to one appearance this season due to multiple injuries, including knee, calf, and hip issues, but still hopes to be selected for Scotland’s Women’s Nations League fixtures on 30 May and 3 June.
• Midfielder Jordan Nobbs will leave Villa after scoring 7 goals in 67 games; she joined in 2023 following a 12-year stint at Arsenal and recently became the all-time Women’s Super League appearance leader.
• Maz Pacheco, Villa’s longest-serving player with 90 appearances, and Danielle Turner, with 71 games since arriving from Everton in 2022, will also exit the club.

For more detailed information, you can read the full article here: BBC Sport

The transfer period is approaching and with it the speculation about contract extensions and non-extensions. Arsenal announced their first two signings today. Specifically, two Swedish players - defender Amanda Ilestedt and forward Lina Hurtig. Both are out of contract at the end of the season and will not be extended further.

Hurtig joined the London club from Serie A's Juventus in 2022. She has appeared in 36 games and scored seven times. It was her former club, Juventus, against whom she was the only one to make it through the Champions League group stage.

Ilestedt joined Arsenal in 2023 from PSG. In 23 matches she scored three times. She also drew attention to herself with her story of being able to come back after a maternity break.

Along with Ilestedt and Hurtig, Teyah Goldie, who was on loan at London City Lionesses, also leaves the Gunners.

Big news for all the football fans. Two Lionesses - Ella Toone and Alessia Russo are launching second season of their of their successful podcast Tooney and Russo show. They are not just back, but stronger than ever.

The second series of the inseparable duo of these best friends and amazing footballers will begin on Monday 12 May and will be available to listen to on BBC Sounds and podcast apps as well as YouTube. They will be kept company by presenter Vick Hope.

Tooney and Alessia aren't the only Lionesses with a podcast. Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have also recently launched their own show. In the podcast The Rest is Football: Daly Brightness relaxedly talks about football and everything around it. 

We recently reported that Manchester United would join the new World Sevens Football competition as the fourth club, joining Bayern Munich, Ajax, and Benfica, who were also confirmed at the time.

We now know all  participants in the brand new tournament, which will be played in Portugal from May 21 to 23. 

Manchester United will be joined by their biggest city rival Manchester City for the English clubs. The French clubs will be represented by PSG, while the Italian Serie A side will be represented by AS Roma. The seven competing teams will be completed by Sweden's Damallsvenskan in the form of FC Rosengård.

Learn more on worldsevensfootball.com