Most Important Signings in Women’s Football Transfer Window

It’s always been said that women’s football grows every year, and the transfer window is a testament to that: every year, there is growing interest in the signings that take place in women’s football, with some becoming very central in the news. This summer, a few certainly deserve attention in the current market.

For example, FC Barcelona, recent winners of the UEFA Champions League, signed now-former Manchester United fullback Ona Batlle as a free agent. The Catalonian side wanted to bring back their former academy product last year but failed to convince the Red Devils. Now Batlle, a recent World Cup winner with Spain, has signed for them, adding more quality to an already star-studded squad.

Embed from Getty Images

Paris Saint Germain were doing everything in their power to keep ahold of attacking midfielder Kadidiatou Diani, but she ultimately decided to sign for Lyon as a free agent, with the latter trying to recapture the lost territory in the UEFA Champions League.

The World Cup this summer has boosted the profile of several players, and some of them have made some interesting moves. Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa, a 23-year-old attacking midfielder who was the tournament’s top scorer with 5 goals in 4 matches, signed for Manchester United, and Colombia’s Ana Maria Guzman, a young and talented fullback from Deportivo Pereira in her home country, has apparently signed for German giants Bayer Munich, although she would join her new team in January.

Regarding the German market, Wolfsburg let go Dutch midfielder Jill Roord as she signed for Manchester City. According to reports, she was sold for 400,000 euros, which is a record fee for the German side, and she is going to join a City side that missed Champions League football by finishing fourth last season in the Women’s Super League, which has led to a somewhat restricted transfer window.

On the other hand, after Alessia Russo signed for Arsenal as a free agent from Manchester United, the Red Devils decided to pay a record fee of 300,000 euros for Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Geyse Ferreira to replace the aforementioned Russo. Both United and Arsenal were linked with Australian midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross after her World Cup exploits, although it would be the Gunners who would get this signing in the final days of the transfer window.

Another signing that perhaps has gone under the radar because it happened earlier in the market was Pernille Harder’s signing for Bayern Munich as a free agent. While it is true that the Danish starlet never fully showed her best form at Chelsea in recent years, Bayern getting her for free could have a lot of upside in the near future, and Harder has a lot of experience in Germany because of her time with Wolfsburg where she was at her best.

There are other interesting signings, such as Lindsey Horan signing for Lyon on a permanent deal, Lyon striker Signe Bruun signing for Real Madrid, Lyon’s Catarina Macario signing for Chelsea, and many more that have made this one of the most attention-grabbing transfer windows in women’s football in recent times.