WSL Signing of the Season: GOAL's top 10 for 2025-26 - ranked

It's been a strange season for Aston Villa, with some real highs, some serious lows and some wild goal-fests along the way. It's hard to know just where the club is at in its project, such has been the rollercoaster ride, but there has also been some positives in the transfer window amid it all. Japan international Maya Hijikata looks a real gem and Netherlands full-back Lynn Wilms ranks joint-top in the WSL for assists in another impactful first season, but it is Lucia Kendall who stands out among the very best signings of this campaign.

It says a lot about how Kendall has been performing for her new side, who she joined last summer from childhood club Southampton, that she has forced her way into the England squad and, for three of her six caps, the Lionesses' starting line-up. That's thanks to the 21-year-old's quality in possession, ability to battle physically and versatility in midfield, which allows her to play any role.

As her first campaign at Villa comes to a close, Kendall ranks among the top performers in the squad in so many categories, leading the way for interceptions made, ranking second for successful passes in the opposition's half and fouls won, while also making Villa's top five for key passes and percentage of ground duels won. How she gets on in her second WSL campaign will be of real interest.

It's been an exciting season in the WSL when it comes to young, homegrown talent, something reflected in the number of new faces who have been added to Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses squad throughout the campaign, with Kendall among them. Another of those has been Freya Godfrey, who has yet to make her senior England debut but has been included in two squads this season because of the impact she has had at London City Lionesses.

Godfrey was on loan at the club last term, helping them to win promotion to the WSL, and then made that switch permanent in the summer, bidding farewell to Arsenal after seven years in the Gunners' youth set-up. The 20-year-old is reaping the rewards of taking that leap of faith now, having stood out as arguably London City's best player in both the club's and Godfrey's first season in the top-flight.

The young forward leads her side in both goals and assists, with a total of nine direct goal contributions in 17 appearances to average one every 124 minutes. That's not bad at all for someone of her inexperience, in a team that has had its ups and downs on the way to what looks set to be a seventh-placed finish.

Liverpool's January transfer window was vital in securing their place in the WSL for another season and perhaps no signing from their winter business has been more important than Jennifer Falk. Head coach Gareth Taylor flip-flopped between goalkeepers Faye Kirby and Rafaela Borggrafe in the first half of the campaign, with neither able to keep a clean sheet in the Reds' first 11 league games. Falk's arrival, though, has brought stability, security and top-level experience to the position, with four clean sheets in her first seven games in the division helping to steer Liverpool off the bottom of the table and towards safety.

In the WSL, the Reds conceded 21 times in their first 11 games, compared to just 10 times in Falk's 10 outings since, with the Sweden international posting a very impressive save percentage of 71.4. It's no wonder that Taylor is reportedly keen to sign the 33-year-old on a permanent basis, as her loan spell from Hacken nears its end.

As the women's game experienced blockbuster transfer after blockbuster transfer last year, it was Olivia Smith who earned the tag as the sport's first-ever £1 million player, when Arsenal chose to spend big to bring the young Canadian winger to north London after her very impressive first campaign in England with Liverpool. Smith's performances on Merseyside made her one of the best signings of the last WSL season, and her exploits in the capital have landed her back on the list this year.

Only Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius, the Gunners' two centre-forwards, and Frida Maanum, who has ended the campaign in great form, have registered more direct goal involvements for Arsenal this season than Smith, who has been a constant menace out wide. Her directness, threat as a scorer and a creator and impressive consistency have all added plenty to Renee Slegers' side, who will only feel the benefits of Smith's game even more in the years to come, as she is only 21 years old.

It's been a disappointing season for Manchester United in the WSL. While the Red Devils did reach another cup final and made it to the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League on their main competition debut, a fourth-placed finish in the league deprives them of European football next season, which will be a real frustration. On top of performances in other competitions, though, there are positives in some of the transfer business conducted, even if United were nowhere near as active as they should have been. Julia Zigiotti Olme has been brilliant in midfield, but it is Jess Park who has stood out as one of the best summer signings in the division.

The England international has been a serious revelation in attack, where she has been utilised in a totally new role by Marc Skinner. It has worked a treat for Park, who has enjoyed her most productive WSL campaign to date as a result, with six goals and five assists.

Again, it's been a tough year for United, but the performances of Park are a reason to be encouraged moving forward, and she will only get better as she grows into the different role and develops overall given she's still only 24 years old.

After winning an incredible domestic treble in Sonia Bompastor's first season, without losing a game, Chelsea's second campaign with the Frenchwoman at the helm has been more underwhelming, even if it still returned a trophy. The Blues have relinquished their WSL crown for the first time in seven years, though they will also still clinch a European spot at the end of a season that has, admittedly, been plagued by injuries. That's especially been the case in attack, placing further pressure on Alyssa Thompson, who joined from Angel City for a seven-figure fee last summer.

Despite the price tag, which is among the biggest in women's football history, Thompson arrived as a 20-year-old with limited experience, especially at the very highest level. The plan would not have been to put so much on her plate so soon. But she has coped well with the added expectation, leading Chelsea's squad for goals and assists in the WSL ahead of the final weekend.

That's despite Thompson sometimes being played in positions that haven't always got the best out of her, too, because of absences. It's been a really promising first year in England for the young American, who should only get better.

While Liverpool's January transfer window was a major reason the club was able to move away from the threat of relegation, there were also some good signings made in the summer. Risa Shimizu was an excellent loan addition and has been great in her first season after a devastating ACL injury, so much so that it will be no surprise if the Reds inquire about the possibility of signing her permanently from Man City in the coming months. Beata Olsson, though, has been the pick of the bunch and one of the most impactful arrivals across the entire WSL, because of how crucial her goals have been in keeping Liverpool up.

The 25-year-old landed in England in real form, after scoring nine times in 15 games in 2025 in the Damallsvenskan. It took her a bit of time to find her feet in the WSL, but when she did, she scored four goals in the Reds' final six league games before the New Year to help them pick up three valuable points, even as their winless run endured and service was limited. Olsson then bagged the opener in the 2-0 win over bottom side Leicester in January which would go a long way towards moving Liverpool much closer to safety.

With six strikes and two assists, the Sweden international has been directly involved in 40 per cent of the goals the Reds have scored this season. Simply put, they would not have gotten out of trouble without Olsson's contributions. Adding some support for the hard-working forward, who boasts the second-best shot conversion rate of players to have 10 or more efforts in the WSL this season, should be a real priority this summer.

What a season it has been for Tottenham. Head coach Martin Ho has had a real impact in his first year in north London, with the recruitment he has overseen playing a huge role. Winter addition Signe Gaupset looks destined for the very top, while Cathinka Tandberg's impact on the attack has been highly impressive. But it's Toko Koga who has been the pick of their signings, with the 20-year-old standing out as one of the very best players in the WSL this term.

Complementing Australia international Clare Hunt brilliantly in the heart of Spurs' defence, Koga has blocked more shots than any other player in the WSL this season, helping her side to keep clean sheets in games against Arsenal and Man Utd on Spurs' rise to fifth in the standings, which will be the team's joint-best finish in their history and with a best points total at this level.

What Koga has added to Tottenham in possession is also very important. No outfield player has played more successful long balls for Spurs than the Japan international, who also ranks second for accurate passes and in the top five for accurate passes in the opposition's half. If the club can keep hold of her, Koga will be a central pillar for this project moving forward.

There are many reasons why Man City have been rampant this season, on their way to a first WSL title in 10 years. Boasting the best attack in the league is a significant factor, but the role of the defence shouldn't be overlooked, either. A front-footed approach has left City open at times at the back - and yet, they still have the second-best defensive record in the WSL. Jade Rose's performances, in her first season in England, have been key to that.

Though already an established Canada international upon arriving in Manchester last summer, this has been Rose's first season of senior football, following four years at Harvard University. She has settled with ease, though, starting 18 of City's 21 games and standing out as a star performer in a title-winning side.

Ranking joint-fifth in the league for shots blocked, Rose's defensive work has been excellent, with her leading City's squad for clearances and ranking in the top five for interceptions made and aerial duels won. But her importance in possession has also grown, with only two players in the league registering more accurate passes than Rose, who is also second among City's outfield players for accurate long balls.

Aged 23, she is another player on this list who is only going to improve, with City's decision to recruitment her - on a free transfer, no less - sure to look better and better over time.

There has been no more impressive goalkeeper, or new signing, in the WSL this season than Chiamaka Nnadozie, who Brighton acquired on a free transfer from Paris FC last summer.

The Nigeria international has been well-known for some time as one of the best shot-stoppers around, a reputation she has earned from her performances at World Cup tournaments, various editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and also in France, where she helped the underdogs in the capital win the Coupe de France last year after enjoying a giant-killing spree in the Champions League the season prior.

Nnadozie has enhanced that reputation in her first season in the WSL, with no other goalkeeper preventing more goals, according to expected goals against statistics. By those metrics, Brighton should've conceded at least 5.7 more times than they have this term, but for Nnadozie's remarkable shot-stopping, which has also earned her the best save percentage in the division.

To rank joint-second in the WSL for clean sheets, in a side that is on track to finish sixth after conceding more than all-but-one of the teams above them, is no mean feat, either. That's not just down to Nnadozie, of course, but she deserves a lot of praise for her role in racking up a tally that is only bettered by Chelsea's Hannah Hampton, Man City's Ayaka Yamashita and Man Utd's Phallon Tullis-Joyce. She has been outstanding and, by GOAL's reckoning, the best signing in the WSL this season.

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