‘London City Lionesses could really push Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea this season – I was in a new team that won trophies, it can definitely happen with the right players’ England great speaks to FFT about the new campaign

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Alexia Putellas(Image credit: Getty)

Manchester City’s women’s team did the double last season – but there’s no guarantee they’ll have everything their own way again this term.

Andree Jeglertz’s side lifted the FA Cup at the end of May, having won the Women’s Super League earlier that month – their first league trumph for a decade.

It ended Chelsea’s run of six consecutive league titles, with the Blues finishing third behind Arsenal, who won the Champions League in 2025.

New contenders

Manchester City celebrate winning the WSL (Image credit: WSL Football via Getty Images)

All of last season’s top three will have serious ambitions of challenging for the major honours this time around, and they could be joined by London City Lionesses.

The Bromley-based club are in only their second season following promotion to the WSL, but have invested heavily in a number of big-name signings under owner Michele Kang.

Michele Kang (Image credit: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

This summer, Mary Earps, Mapi Leon and Kadidiatou Diani have joined London City Lionesses, as well as two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas – arguably the biggest signing in WSL history.

Asked who she expects to be the strongest women’s team in the country this season, England great Fara Williams admits the answer is not obvious.

“That’s a difficult one,” the TNT Sports pundit tells FFT. “There have been so many signings, so many changes.

“Arsenal have made some real key signings, Manchester City have pretty much kept hold of their same squad – Kerolin has gone to Barcelona, but they’ve brought in Beth Mead.

“London City have heavily invested in big name players, so it’s whether they can mould that together in a season and be real contenders, and we can’t ever rule out Chelsea, with the history of their women’s team.

“I think it will still be those three top teams, and London City could have a real push in trying to change that – especially with City, Chelsea and Arsenal all playing Champions League football as well.”

London City Lionesses finished sixth in their first season in the WSL last term, but Williams thinks they can close the gap quickly after their high-profile signings, particularly Putellas.

“It makes a big difference, the level of the player and how that impacts the rest of the squad.” she said.

Fara Williams (Image credit: Getty Images)

“I think it will show quite early in the season for them. I was a part of a Liverpool team that was a brand new team when we ended up becoming back-to-back WSL champions in 2013 and 2014. It definitely can happen with the right group of players.

“With the experience that Arsenal and Chelsea and Manchester City have, it will be hard to break that, but top players have signed, experienced signings. Mary Earps is massive for them in goal.

“I think their intention will be to challenge this season. Last year was about bringing in players of experience to keep them in the league, because teams that come up tend to go back down.

“It was about establishing themselves in the WSL, which they did quite convincingly. Then adding to that, the names that have come in this summer, the experience within that team now.

“There’s no doubt that among them and the owners, they’ll be expecting to be pushing for that title this year.”

"They have to spend the money"

Mary Earps (Image credit: Unknown)

While London City Lionesses have provided an intriguing new storyline to the women’s game in England, it's true that historically, clubs that have made progress by spending large amounts of money haven’t always been widely popular across the country.

Williams, though, says London City Lionesses have no choice but to take that approach if they’re to break into the elite.

“They have to – they have to buy the biggest names in order to create a fanbase, because they’re a new team,” she said.

Alexia Putellas (Image credit: David Ramos - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)

“They’re not affiliated with a men’s team, they haven’t been established long enough for women's fans to be a part of their fanbase. In the women's game, what tends to happen is that fans follow individual players around.

“What better player to bring in than one of the world's best in Alexia Putellas, and try to bring that fanbase? Draw fans in that want to get a sighting of her live.

“They have to spend the money. In order to compete nowadays, whether it be the men’s or women's game, it’s those who are prepared to put their hands in their pocket and bring in the very best who are the ones who seem to be successful.”

With the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, Conference League, Emirates FA Cup and Women’s FA Cup ALL in one place. There’s levels to this. TNT Sports.

Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.

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