Russo and McCabe ask to ruffle feathers
Arsenal’s late bid for Manchester United forward Alessia Russo and Chelsea’s reported interest in Arsenal’s Katie McCabe have stirred the pot. Players moving between rival clubs is much more common in women’s football than in men’s football. Short-term contracts are the norm, while large cash transfers are a relatively new phenomenon. In the past, players’ short deals would often expire and they would move for free. With one-year deals and a lack of benefits the norm in the semi-professional and amateur games, it has been difficult to persuade players to take advantage of any opportunity.
Gradually, as the game became more professional and players became more valued as assets, this began to change. Alex Greenwood’s decision to leave Manchester United for Lyon and then join Manchester City was not well received by United fans, and Emma Mitchell joined Tottenham from Arsenal in search of playing time causing confusion among the wider fan base. . female footballers who move their lives and the lives of their families around the country. Chelsea’s courting of McCabe and Arsenal’s offer for Russo, who is out of contract in the summer, have raised the discontent to a new level. That this happened in January, and that the three teams were involved in the pursuit of the title, left fans fuming. If United or Arsenal were to capitalize and sell valuable players for money, the motivations of the club hierarchies would be in the spotlight.
Related: Moving the Back Posts | Such a failed Alessia Russo bid could shape the future of Arsenal and United
England’s hopefuls are fighting for World Cup spots
Beth England swapping Chelsea for Tottenham and Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Staniforth to join Aston Villa from Arsenal and Manchester United respectively were brave decisions. The English international’s signing was also prudent. The three are on the edge of Sarina Wiegman’s squad. Only England was in the Euro 2022 squad, but did not play a minute.
With the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on the horizon, warming the bench for top teams offering some of the league’s best environments and pay is unlikely to put their chances back on Wiegman’s radar – until especially with some young players making an impact and getting regular games this season. All three have settled seamlessly into the club and the confidence of the group is growing. If some or all of them make the plane for the 2023 World Cup, it will increase the likelihood of international hopefuls looking below the top four squads in the hunt for regular football and will benefit the competitiveness of the league.
Avoid the foreign rangers
The transfer market was busy. 24 players made permanent moves but the loan market is perhaps more interesting, with 15 players on loan from WSL sides, six on dual registrations and 39 sent to WSL sides and beyond – not all of these deals were done in January. There are several contradictions in the WSL. There are 22 games in the league season and clubs can field up to 25 players. Three clubs have more Champions League games and often go deep in domestic cup competitions. That allows for more rotation, but the top clubs are struggling more and more to keep a squad of 25 top players happy.
With more resources, the top four of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United are increasingly able to house some of the best young talent. Those players need the environments, contracts and level of professionalism offered by those clubs but often struggle to find meaningful playing time and the pressure to succeed is greater than ever. As a result, those players are being sent out on loan.
Manchester United were in the lead, with 10 players on loan or out on two registrations, while City and Chelsea have five and six respectively. Leicester City are the anomaly, with eight players out on loan and manager Willie Kirk trying to avoid the drop. This situation is problematic because, for teams such as Everton, who followed this system to strengthen their ranks, bringing in City’s Jess Park, Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones and United’s Emily Ramsey at the start of the seasons. uncertainty moving forward. Those players were central to the team that Brian Sørensen put together but their time is limited.
It is hoped that increasing the competitiveness of the league and the resources of those outside the top four will make teams like Everton more attractive to some of the best young talent on a more permanent basis. Currently, if they want, the parent clubs at the top can get their best young talent back into the fold, whether they get meaningful playing time or not.