- Summer transfer window opens 15 June
- Huge players out of contract
- WSL an opportunity to expand
Crystal Palace Women have been presented with a great opportunity to build on the success of Jo Potter’s first year in charge after winning promotion back to the WSL.
The new season will begin over the weekend of September 4th-6th, with the summer transfer window opening on June 15th and closing on August 31st.
The Eagles’ return to the WSL will see them face tougher competition and more matches, as the league has expanded to 14 teams. In their first WSL debut season, Palace struggled to compete, winning only two games, drawing four and losing 16.
Palace will need to build on Jo Potter’s strong side to offer a strong chance of consolidating in the WSL, yet a significant proportion of the team who earned the historic promotion may be set to depart South London this summer.
Players likely to depart South London
While no official announcements have been made, a significant number of the promotion-winning squad are set to depart South London this summer, which Palace will need to address if they hope to stay up next season.
With an incredible three assists in the last match of the season, 18-year-old Lola Brown will likely be returning to Chelsea after the season-long loan.
The loans of Eve Annets and Lucy Newell, from Manchester City and Manchester United respectively, are also reported to end this summer, with each having played three games for the Eagles.
Significant players may also be departing in the transfer window, after their contracts are due to expire:
| Player | Last Known Contract Update | Contract Extension |
| Josie Greene, Isabella Sibley, Chloe Arthur | One-year extension | Summer 2025 |
| Molly-Mae Sharpe | Two-year extension | Summer 2024 |
| Elise Hughes | Two-year extension | Summer 2024 |
| Indiah-Paige Riley | Two year deal | Summer 2024 |
| Rushea Littlejohn | Two-year deal | Summer 2024 |
| Abbie Larkin | Two and a half-year deal | January 2024 |
Elise Hughes’s contract includes an option for a one-year extension, although it is unclear whether this will be triggered. Fans will be hopeful for Hughes’ return as she was pivotal in the Eagles’ 2023/24 Championship winners but tore her ACL before the WSL season.
Attacking threat Abbie Larkin would also be a huge loss for the Eagles after being the joint-top goal scorer this season.
Despite her experience, Rushea Littlejohn has struggled at Palace with only seven appearances. She faced a difficult start to the season after an extended five-match ban after a red card against Leicester City in November was deemed “violent conduct”.
Palace Require Ambitious Window
Given that several exits may be on the cards for prominent members of Palace’s promotion-winning side, the club may need to be ambitious in this transfer window, using the promise of WSL as an incentive to attract exciting new players.
London City Lionesses offer an attractive model for the Eagles to work towards, after earning promotion in 2024/25 and set to finish the WSL season in seventh place. The fellow London club fought hard to establish themselves with a busy transfer window last summer.
