Dodging the drop: Which WSL regulars could be at risk of relegation?

Last year’s relegation battle in the Barclays Women’s Super League wasn’t, unfortunately, much of a battle at all. Bristol City finished the season on a dismal six points, recording only one win – and were nine points behind closest rivals West Ham United. That was the lowest tally since Liverpool did the same in 2019/20, and that season ended months early. There were not many thrills and spills for fans to enjoy at the bottom of the table, with the Robins officially relegated in April. However, this campaign looks as though it could be a different story.

There are one or two established WSL names who have diced with danger for the past couple of seasons and cannot rely on the newly promoted team to perform as poorly as Bristol Rovers. Here are four sides who could be at risk of the drop this season.

Crystal Palace

To start with the obvious: it’s an old adage that what goes up must come down, and that is often the case in football. It happened to all the new promotees in the men’s and women’s English top flight last season – but it’s actually less common in the WSL than you might think. Before Bristol City, the last three teams to be promoted to the WSL are all still there. It’s possible to attribute their success at staying up to having the backing of Premier League clubs (Aston Villa, Leicester City, and Liverpool) and financial backing more generally – so will Crystal Palace have that backing? Their promotion campaign would suggest so, with recruitment playing a key role. Eight new players were brought in to provide a mix of youthful energy (such as Araya Dennis, Lexi Potter, and Lucy Watson) and experience (like Demi Lambourne and Hayley Nolan). The leadership of new head of women’s football Grace Williams, who arrived after overseeing Bristol’s promotion, and Laura Kaminski, trusted for her first head coach role, proved wise. Palace secured promotion with 55 goals scored – 16 more than anyone else. That’s more goals than Arsenal or Manchester United managed, and Palace held out Chelsea until the 81st minute in the FA Cup before Mayra Ramírez’s eventual winner. Last season’s side definitely had the credentials to compete with the best – but this summer’s window does bring some cause for concern.

Eight players from the promotion-winning squad have now departed, including longtime servant Annabel Johnson and crucial midfielder Kirsten Reilly. Division top scorer Elise Hughes ruptured her ACL in Palace’s penultimate game of the season and it’s unknown when she’ll return. They have also only retained one of last season’s loanees in Chelsea’s Lexi Potter. There are definite gaps to fill in their squad, and it remains to be seen whether this summer’s business is enough. More WSL experience has arrived in the form of Katrine Veje, and Josie Green. At the other end of the maturity spectrum, several of Palace’s overall incomings are prospects who could develop for several years yet – such as My Cato, who at 22 has already captained IFK Norrköping and been called up for her country. England youth prospects Brooke Aspin, Jorja Fox, Poppy Pritchard, and Lexi Potter have all chosen Palace as their destination to develop on loan.

Palace’s squad proved last season that they can compete at the top level – the question is whether the summer’s turnover will jeopardise their strengths or reinforce them.

West Ham United

The modern WSL (that is, since it became a full-time professional league in 2018) has never been without the Hammers – but they could be in serious trouble this season. Last year they won only three games, losing 13 (the same as Brighton and only better than Bristol). Their 15 points were enough for survival, but they lived very dangerously. What is potentially even more worrying is their overall trajectory: in their five seasons in the top flight, this was their joint-worst ever points total and was only just worse than the 16 they recorded from only 14 games in 2019/20. Everyone suffers bad years, but without the safety net of a seriously struggling Bristol City below them their mistakes could have proved deadly. They’ve also had arguably one of the worst transfer windows in the league, having lost seven first team regulars including Hawa Cissoko, keeper Mackenzie Arnold, Honoka Hayashi, and Risa Shimizu. To rub salt in the wound for fans, Hayashi and Shimizu have both joined rival WSL clubs (Everton and Manchester City respectively) and are among those leaving on. free transfers. Boss Rehanne Skinner has admitted that the problem of high turnover, due in part to short contracts, needs to be solved. Though five three-year contracts signed this summer are a step in the right direction, it comes too late for the crop of players they have ended up losing for nothing.

West Ham had serious work to do in the transfer market after suffering such heavy losses. Kinga Szemik has been drafted in to replace Arnold between the sticks and kept the most clean sheets in the Première Ligue last season. Newcomers Camila Sáez and now-permanent signing Shelina Zadorsky will provide cover in front of her and bring plenty of defensive experience, while Li Mengwen arrived on loan on deadline day to add more depth. The team’s biggest problem was in front of goal last season, though. They recorded the second-worst goal difference in the league and scored the joint-least, and none of their new signings look set to immediately rectify that problem. They do have potential: Seraina Piubel is a versatile attacker who scored 35 goals in her 130 appearances at Zürich, and Manuela Paví has made an impression in attack for Colombia. However, it’s likely to be Vivianne Asseyi and Riko Ueki who are relied on to produce the goods in attack- and will that be enough to save the Hammers from relegation?

Brighton and Hove Albion

Yes, the Seagulls have remained in the Women’s Super League since they arrived in 2018 – but they have flirted with danger for multiple campaigns now and are in desperate need of some stability. 2022/23’s chaos saw them survive by only five points with the division’s worst goal difference, and go through two ‘permanent’ managers before eventually appointing Melissa Phillips. The American attracted some blockbuster signings last summer and it appeared there was real buy-in to a project under her leadership – until she was also sacked in February 2024. Brighton ended up finishing a respectable 9th, but only Bristol City lost more games than them and it was clear from their failure to win a game since March that serious change would be needed. However, the transfer window has seen them lose some of their most important players. Elisabeth Terland scored half of all their league goals; she’s moved to Manchester United. Katie Robinson and Lee Geum-Min, longtime vital parts of their attack, have moved to Aston Villa and Birmingham City respectively. Tatiana Pinto, Veatriki Sarri, Emma Kullberg, and Julia Zigiotti Olme have all also departed.

The biggest problem for new boss Dario Vidošić is how to replace the goalscoring gap left by Terland, whose individual quality often pushed Brighton over the line to gain crucial points. She scored a brace to secure a draw against Leicester in December, a 95th-minute winner against Bristol City in January, and another late winner to secure victory over Leicester again in March – all in all, seven points without which they would have been two places lower in the table. They have signed a few options to replace her: Kiko Seike arrives from Urawa Reds off the back of a 20-goal season and 20-year-old Aisha Masaka brings Champions League experience from BK Häcken.

However, two crucial arrivals took until deadline day. The loan signing of Michelle Agyemang from Arsenal is an excellent move by the Seagulls. Agyemang, 18, is one of Arsenal and England’s brightest youngsters. She spent time in the Championship at Watford last season and a spell with another WSL club where she will be able to secure more minutes is a brilliant step for her development. In the dying minutes of the window they also , somewhat ironically, secured the signature of Nikita Parris. The 30-year-old was United’s top scorer last season, but the Terland’s arrival will limit her minutes, hence a swap to the south coast. Parris is a proven goalscorer in the WSL and brings several years of experience at the highest level, so it could be that Vidošić turns to her to fill Terland’s role.

Fran Kirby’s arrival on a free transfer is also a huge coup. Though her minutes dwindled with Chelsea in the aftermath of a season-ending knee injury in May 2023, and she is now 31, she is still a key member of the Lionesses and will add to the experience in Brighton’s ranks. The fact Kirby has chosen Brighton as her new home acts as a vote of confidence in the project the club are trying to embark on; however, the quality of patience is necessary on the ownership’s part. If they want to achieve their stated aim of breaking into the top four, they will require stability – and sacking a manager at least once a season will not help the crop of players they have to develop, nor will it encourage players to join them.

Leicester City

The Foxes are a difficult team to dissect because most WSL fans would probably describe their trajectory as upwards. They have certainly become much more difficult to beat – their first top flight campaign in 2021/22 saw them lose 17 games, while last year they lost 12. They have also conceded fewer goals year on year since promotion, and only narrowly missed out on a spot at Wembley in their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Tottenham. However, they have never broken out of the bottom three, and the last months of their campaign were overshadowed by the sacking of manager Willie Kirk – who later admitted to a relationship with a player. New boss Amandine Miquel has the task of not only moving the squad on from those difficult headlines, but also solving their problems in front of goal. Last season saw a definite uptick with a club record of 26 WSL goals scored, but they also failed to find the net in eight of their games (some of which were only narrowly lost) and more ruthlessness in front of goal will be critical in putting some breathing room between themselves and the drop.

Could this be the season the Foxes finally start to challenge the top WSL sides, rather than bumping along near the bottom? Their window has largely been one of continuity – so it will be interesting to see whether Miquel can take a very similar group of players to the one Kirk worked with over the last two years and coax more goals out of them. The Frenchwoman established a reputation for attacking football in her time with Reims, who she led from the second division to a fourth-place Première Ligue finish, and reiterated that philosophy upon joining Leicester. She’s also accustomed to working with young players, which bodes well for the likes of Ruby Mace and Asmita Ale, and is bringing familiar faces with her in Noémie Mouchon and Shana Chossenotte. It will be interesting to see whether a shift in tactics rather than personnel can solve Leicester’s difficulties in front of goal – if not, they could be among those looking over their shoulders nervously as the season ticks on.

FromTheSpot will be providing full coverage of the WSL from next weekend, when action begins with Chelsea v Aston Villa on Friday 20th September.