The Women’s Super League (WSL) returned from the winter break this weekend, and several January transfer window arrivals made their debuts.
Chelsea continued its dominance at the top of the standings, while Manchester City fell to fourth place after the derby day disaster. Arsenal and Manchester United are now locked in the race for second place, as the relegation battle approaches the limit.
Five of Everton’s new arrivals have made their debut in blue, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool, while the others have welcomed new faces into their ranks.
Following his move to Merseyside from Manchester United, Hayley Ladd has been quick to make his first-team debut for the Toffees since signing two weeks ago. The Welsh midfielder started for Brian Sorensen’s side and produced a solid display against Aston Villa at Walton Hall Park.
A late equalizer from Viatrici Sarri in the 89th minute was enough to save a point for Everton and keep them five points above the relegation zone. The equalizer came nine minutes after Ladd’s withdrawal.
Minutes are exactly what Ladd needs ahead of Euro 2025 with Wales in the summer. After getting just eight minutes of Premier League football at United in the first half of the season, the grass is already proving greener.
Replacing Ladd in the 80th minute, Louna Ribadeira’s brief 10-minute appearance at Walton Hall Park showed glimpses of a positive start to her Toffees career. It was Ribadera’s efforts inside the box that allowed Sarri the chance to finally strike the ball to equalise.
The striker was recently recalled from her loan spell at Paris FC by parent club Chelsea, before putting pen to paper on Merseyside instead. The 20-year-old showed off her fierceness in her short debut, suggesting there’s a lot more to come for the young star.
On loan from Barcelona, Martina Fernandes didn’t have to wait for her first start on Merseyside. The 20-year-old defender was tested against the formidable Rachel Daly and struggled to come out on top as the England striker opened the scoring in the 31st minute.
Despite conceding an early goal, Fernandes was quick to bounce back and produced an impressive MLS debut for the home fans.
Another Toffees debut in the WSL saw Kelly Gago come off the bench to replace Tony Payne in the 54th minute against Villa.
The French striker put pen to paper after arriving from Nantes, where she spent one season, before moving to the English Premier League.
Sorensen was desperate to bolster the attacking areas after Aurora Galli and Anna Gabarro both suffered devastating anterior cruciate ligament tears earlier in the season. Gago appears to be a perfect fit for the depleted team, and although she was unable to score against Villa, she is only just getting started.
Completing the quintet of Everton new arrivals is Emma Watson, who has signed on loan from Manchester United for the remainder of the 2024/25 season. The midfielder had the opportunity in the 54th minute to replace Katja Snojegis in midfield.
18-year-old Watson was Sorensen’s third signing during the transfer window and will be hoping to earn significant minutes before returning to Carrington in the summer.
As much as a debut is high-stakes, facing your old club just a week after your departure is certainly a way to get your first. Liz Cobb did just that, starting between the posts for Tottenham Hotspur against her former club Leicester City.
The Dutch goalkeeper has left the Foxes after struggling to get the number one shirt. Cobb put in a solid display at Brisbane Road, while former teammate Janina Letzig scored the own goal that gave Spurs the win at home.
The dependable goalkeeper will be an integral part of Robert Villahamn’s Tottenham side if they are to build on a positive 2023/24 campaign.
It was a debut that Rebecca Knack will be keen to forget as Manchester United cruised to a derby day win over the woeful Citizens at the Etihad Stadium. Defensive errors were the main cause of concern for coach Gareth Taylor’s team, and Kanak is certainly not immune to this strange error.
Despite facing a 3-0 deficit in the early stages, City managed to score twice before half-time. Knack scored her first goal in sky blue, heading in City’s second goal of the evening.
Hoping to replace captain Alex Greenwood in her absence due to injury, City secured the signing of Knack from Swedish side FC Rosengård on the first day of the transfer window. The goal-scoring defender has lived up to her name in her first-team debut, but leaves a lot to be desired defensively.
Sam Kerr made her Liverpool debut on Friday evening, making her first start for Matt Bird’s side. The Reds won on this occasion, beating Brighton 2-1.
The midfielder will spend the remainder of the season on Merseyside after signing on loan from Bayern Munich, the German Bundesliga giants. The Scotland international has been struggling to break into Alexander Strauss’ starting XI and will be hoping her time in the WSL will put her on the right track in her development.
Liverpool would certainly benefit from Kerr’s arrival, with the 25-year-old providing real control and composure in midfield.
Read the latest women’s football news, features and analysis
https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_2001,h_1125,x_0,y_216/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/90min_en_international_web/01jj2gd1y3hs80sptg1r.jpg
Source link