Manchester City Women: WSL preview
The blue side of Manchester are consecutive contenders to challenge for the top three in the Barclays Women’s Super League. In 2016, they secured the title of league winners; they want to do this again. This ambition will not change as Manchester City head into the 2025/26 season.
The team is one to watch during the season upon us, due to their standout players and strong chemistry on and off the pitch. The team will participate in three competitions this season: the Adobe Women’s FA Cup, the Subway Women’s League Cup and the WSL.
Hungry for their first trophy since the 2021/22 season, this summer has seen some new faces joining City. Players renowned for their prowess and technique on the world footballing stage have been recruited. Going for gold is the only option.
Summary of last season
Last season we saw both the highs and lows for Manchester City. Whilst they played a part in the 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign, the squad took a significant blow due to several key players sustaining long-term injuries.
The side placed fourth in the WSL, unfortunately losing out on a qualification place for the Champions League to their rivals, Manchester United. They managed to secure a win to end their season on a high. However, that didn’t manage to overshadow the lows of their 2024/25 campaign.
After competing in all four competitions that season, Manchester City only reached one final. In the FA Cup they fell short once again to their rivals, Manchester United. But in the Champions League, they exited the competition in the semi finals to WSL Champions, Chelsea. Despite securing a 2-0 victory in the home leg, Chelsea turned it around in the second leg, with a 3-2 victory to qualify for the prestigious final.
City saw greater success in the newly branded Subway Women’s League Cup, where they obtained a spot in the final. However, their hopes of silverware were once again cut short by Chelsea, despite a rocket finish from Aoba Fujino.
The injury crisis contributed significantly to this lack of form. City suffered huge losses with main players being sidelined with long-term issues: Lauren Hemp, Alex Greenwood, Khadija Bunny Shaw, and Vivianne Miedema to name a few. This was detrimental to the team’s structure as it meant they had to find replacements to the usual starting eleven, which weakened their squad depth, especially with such a heavy fixture schedule. In some ways this crisis is not over, as PFA Team of the Season winner, Mary Fowler, will remain sidelined after a ruptured ACL late last season.
Ones to watch
In some ways, Manchester City unearthed some rising stars of the women’s game with several regular players sidelined. When called up, new team members and those typically benched rose to the challenge.
One of these being Kerolin Nicoli, a new recruit for the Manchester side in the winter transfer window. Although naturally a winger, Kerolin occupied the position as striker on several occasions. With four goals and two assists to her name in Manchester blue, she started to make her mark in the WSL. Not to mention she won the COPA América Femenina this summer with Brazil national team.
After scoring their only goal in their only final, it is fair to say Aoba Fujino proved what she is capable of. Her dominant performance in the league cup final is testament to her diligence and footballing IQ off the pitch. This sparked a new energy in the midfielder, instantly emerging into City’s starting eleven. It is likely she could retain this spot as the new season approaches, but more competition will add an extra element of challenge to her name.
Another more recent recruit to watch out for is new edition, Jade Rose. The Canadian defender seems unstoppable in training via the team’s social media, coming from a Harvard University side where she won plenty of awards.
Finally, the deadline day signing of Grace Clinton is a huge boost to Manchester City’s title race challenge. Clinton is on the back of her major international tournament, in which she lifted the UEFA Women’s EURO trophy. She is a bright midfielder with a clear vision of success, whether this be through goalscoring or setting up her teammates with accurate passes and intelligent link up play. Her unexpected move to City could certainly shake things up a bit.
Aspirations and predictions
Under new head coach, Andrée Jeglertz, Manchester City have their sights set on Champions League qualification once more, but also on handling some silverware.
The summer transfer window has proven worthwhile for City, with some big names coming into the team. With such big signings, alongside a team of ambitious and technically gifted individuals, there are high aspirations for the club for the 2025/26 season.
In terms of goal scorers, it is safe to say that the forwards possess a hunger for goals. In particular, strikers Shaw and Miedema will be looking to score a record number of goals. As forwards with accolades to their names in the WSL, they will both have their sights set on the golden boot with goals pushing their team over the line when called up.