Deadline Day Drama: Kelly Forces Arsenal Loan | Walsh to Chelsea

February 03, 2025

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL WEEKLY
IN THIS WEEK’S ROUND-UP...

  • Picks from the pitch: Our top five WSL moments of the week

  • Latest headlines: Barcelona’s 46-game unbeaten run ends

  • Inside track:

  • Fave finds:

  • What we’re watching: Our pick of the week’s upcoming matches

  • Jobs: New opportunities in football

⚽ PICKS FROM THE PITCH

Our top five moments from this week’s WSL action

  1. Wubben-Moy rose above City’s defence to smash home this header

  2. Leanne Kiernan got a touch to a through ball from Holland who did great work in the build-up.

  3. Kelly Gago completed her brace for Everton with a powerful header in the 6-yard-box

  4. Crystal Palace scored the most bizarre own goal we’ve ever seen. We’re still not sure how that was possible!

  5. Jayde Riviere’s cross was finished in style by Terland 

WSL SCOREBOARD: MATCH DAY 13
AS IT STANDS
ELSEWHERE…

Postponed Women's FA Cup Fourth Round games:

🚨ICYMI

Top Headlines

England’s next international window is coming up fast. The Lionesses have two Nations League games in February. Portugal (away) is up first on 21 February, followed by Spain on 26th at Wembley. Both games will be live on ITV. Tickets are still available for the Spain World Cup Final rematch.

In a shock result, Barcelona suffered its first Liga F loss since the 2022/23 season. That’s 46 games unbeaten (45 wins and a draw). Apart from saying a lot about how competitive the Liga F is or isn’t, it was relegation-embattled Levante who beat them, winning 2-1. Incidently that single draw during the 46-game run was also against Levante. 

Denver has been officially announced as the 16th franchise in the NWSL. They join the league in the 2026 season. NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said she saw no reason why the NWSL couldn’t one day see 30 teams as part of an aggressive growth plan, although the detail of how that might happen is still a work in progress.

📚 WHAT WE’RE READING

Our best reads this week…

👀 FAVE FINDS

Action replay: That McCabe vs Chloe Kelly throw-in moment

What do you get if you take a historical headloss moment between rivals, a last-minute deadline day loan, and then slap an unhealthy dose of GCSE drama on top? This reenactment of McCabe booshing Chloe Kelly in the head with a ball. Don’t worry, they’re all friends now folks.

Related fave find…

Anyone who’s just splashed out on a Sophia Smith jersey might want to take it back. Sophia Smith has tied the knot, marrying NFL star Mike Wilson and has changed her name to Sophia Wilson.

The Lost Lionesses: The incredible story of England’s forgotten trailblazers
You might have seen Copa 71 which told the story of the 1971 Women’s World Cup, now the story has been told from the perspective of the first England women’s team. The book celebrates the determination of the group of women who were mocked by the press but pushed on to set the foundations of women’s football today. Get your copy here

🔎 IN FOCUS

Chloe Kelly forces dramatic deadline day loan to Arsenal

It’s no surprise that Chloe Kelly started ramping up the pressure for a move in the January window, but it was perhaps the way the pressure came that was more of a shock.

A bit of context:

  • It’s no secret that Kelly hasn’t had a good season at Man City. She’s been relegated to the bench, reportedly after falling out with the manager Gareth Taylor.

  • It’s a Euros year and no minutes means no selection, even for the Euro 2022 final-winning scorer. Weigman said back in November that Kelly needed more minutes and couldn’t rely on the credit she had in the bank ahead of this summer’s squad selection.

  • There’d been rumours of a Man Utd loan being on the cards. Brighton had also put in a loan offer but Kelly’s preference was to stay in Manchester. There was no way City could contemplate loaning Kelly to a direct competitor.

So, what happened?

  • Wednesday 29th: Kelly couldn’t let the transfer window pass without a move, she was desperately unhappy and desperate for minutes, so she took to social media to release a statement with her side of the story.

  • She said the situation at City was dragging on and having a huge impact on her career and mental health. It seemed like a strongly worded attempt to try and force a move.

  • Thursday 30th: The loan deal to Arsenal was confirmed. Kelly cracked out her old photo albums to reminisce about her previous stint at the club that launched her career.

The drama didn’t stop there…

  • Friday 31st: Kelly again took to social media, this time accusing people at Man City of character assassination and trying to plant negative stories in the media.

  • In response to questions ahead of City’s game at Arsenal, Taylor said he couldn't go into detail on how the club sees it. He did say that they’d loaned her to a rival so hadn't stood in the way of the player.

✍️ INSIDE TRACK

Dramatic last day of transfer action

While Chloe Kelly might have provided the drama, Chelsea brought the biggest deadline-day surprise. They outdid Arsenal once again by securing Keira Walsh on a contract until 2029. Arsenal had attempted to win her signature with a £1 million bid last summer but failed. 

Walsh would have been out of contract at the end of the season, so perhaps Barcelona needed to cash in while they still could. It would be an amusing twist if Chelsea managed to beat Barca to the Champions League title with Walsh’s help.

A couple of other big moves that flew under the radar this week… Jenna Nighswonger to Arsenal is a biggie, the young USWNT full-back has joined from Gotham and is an exciting talent. Meanwhile Crystal Dunn left Gotham and headed to PSG on a contract until 2027. Emma Hayes wasn’t kidding when she told the USWNT to get some European experience!

CONFIRMED TRANSFERS/LOANS
👟 KIT DROP

Boots, bombers and retro vibes

Puma’s newest women’s only fit boots have been teased. The ‘Light-up’ pack includes the Ultimate, Future and King boots in a fresh new pastel colourway. We’re the first to love a women’s fit boot, but we really aren’t sold on the said “Icey blue/Puma white” colourway being chosen to ‘mirror feminine beauty’... 🤨erm sorry, what now? 

Antonia Bronze has been at it again, creating this custom Arsenal Tiempo inspired faux leather bomber jacket for Leah Williamson, in partnership with ProDirect Soccer. The collab coincides with the launch of Nike’s Tiempo Legend X ‘Luxe’.

Last week it was the Adidas Stealth Victory Pack, this week we’ve got the Polar Victory Pack. In non-marketing speak, that means the Predator 25, F50 and Copa Pure III are now available in a bright white colourway. They’re a brave choice with the current state of UK grassroots pitches. Get them here brave souls.

Foudy’s has gone retro with its latest collection, a celebration of the England Women’s teams that got us where we are today. You can get yourself anything from a 1998 Hope Powell shirt to a 2002 Casey Stoney shirt. Take my money.

Arsenal’s merch drops never seem to stop. This week the adidas x Arsenal Terrace Icons Collection was launched. How Gunner fans can end the month with cash in the bank is beyond us. Shop the collection here

🩼 ACL WATCH + INJURY UPDATES

Stanway injury blow for England

Georgia Stanway could be a doubt for the Euros this summer after rupturing her LCL (lateral collateral ligament) during a Bayern training session. She had surgery on Wednesday but faces several months out, which means she’ll miss the rest of the domestic season.

Everton has confirmed that 26-year-old centre-back, Megan Finnigan sustained an ACL injury during their midweek FA Cup match against Tottenham. This is Everton’s third ACL injury after Inma Gabarro and Aurora Galli were injured in the first two games of the season.

🛋️ DITCH THE SOFA

Upcoming events

UEFA Women’s Nations League: England vs Spain
Wednesday 26 Feb, 20:00 KO
Wembley Stadium
Tickets are now on sale

Is there a women’s football event happening near you? Give us a heads-up.

📺 WEEKLY WATCHLIST

What We’re Watching

Both Subway League Cup Semi-Finals will be shown live on the BBC.
19:00, Wed 5 Feb: Chelsea vs West Ham 
19:00, Thurs 6 Feb: Arsenal vs Manchester City

The final will also be live on the BBC, 15 March at 12:15.

Women's FA Cup fifth-round broadcast picks
Saturday, 8 February
12:00 - Aston Villa vs Brighton [Youtube, FA Player]
17:15 - Wolves vs Manchester United [Youtube, FA Player]

Sunday, 9 February
12:30 - Rugby Borough vs Liverpool [BBC Sport, Youtube, FA Player]
13:00 - Crystal Palace vs Newcastle [Youtube, FA Player]
14:00 - Portsmouth vs Sunderland [Youtube, FA Player]
14:00 - Manchester City vs Leicester [Youtube, FA Player]
14:00 - Arsenal vs London City Lionesses [Youtube, FA Player]
15:00 - Chelsea vs Everton [Youtube, FA Player]

📂 JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

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