The Women's Super League transfer window opened only on Friday, but already there have been some blockbuster moves.
Such is the nature of women's football, massive sums of money aren't always on the table with many players taking short-term contracts with clubs and then moving on when their deal ends. However, the money involved in transfers is trending upward.
In 2020, spending on women's football transfers surpassed $1 million for the first time ever and rose to $2.1m in 2021. FIFA revealed in February that only 21 of the 257 moves made during the January transfer window involved a fee but that spending on those few was up 57.3% from the previous year.
The WSL were the biggest spenders in the 2022 January window with their transfer business totaling $254,200 on 20 transfers. Meanwhile, Spanish clubs spent $105,000 on 46 international transfers.
So, with the summer transfer window here and some big players looking for new adventures, here are the best transfers that have already happened in the WSL and what to look out for over the next few months.
With Bronze's contract up this summer, there had been a lot of speculation about whether she would stay at City or move on. It became apparent early on that her time with City was numbered, but there wasn't even a hint that Barcelona would be where she ended up. It is rare in women's football for a transfer to happen without a single whisper of the end destination, but that was exactly the case here. For most of the time it seemed like she was headed to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the U.S.
After losing the Champions League final 3-1 in spectacular fashion to Lyon, it has already become apparent that Barca are planning their revenge, and they have made a statement by signing the England international right-back. While injury has hampered her last season, she is still an incredibly formidable defender and has the experience of winning the Champions League three times with Lyon. While Barca only conceded 23 goals last season, Bronze will bring a new level of success and experience to the side.
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