London City Lionesses

London City Lionesses have announced the signing of China international Shen Mengyu.  The 22-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the Pride after leaving Celtic during the summer where she won the Scottish Women’s Premier League last season.  The midfielder made her international debut during the 2023 World Cup.  Speaking after joining London City, Shen said, “I can feel everyone’s ambition, we all have a clear goal, which is to win promotion to the WSL.  I’m very proud to play for a team with this kind of ambition and believe that we will surprise everyone, with the support of Michele (Kang) and Jocelyn (Precheur).”

Serbia international Miljana Ivanovic has joined London City Lionesses for an undisclosed fee from Norwegian side LSK Kvinner.  The forward has signed a four-year contract with the Pride.  24-year-old Ivanovic has been capped 19 times by Serbia and scored six goals. 

Explaining her reasons for joining London City, she commented, “I was really interested in the whole programme.  I felt that the club had a lot of belief in me and they wanted me to be part of the project.  With Michele (Kang) doing everything she can to support us, it was a no-brainer for me to join this team and try to help us reach the Super League.

Charlton Athletic have announced that Ellie Brazil has signed a one-year contract with the club.  The 25-year-old spent the last two years with Tottenham Hotspur having previously played for Brighton & Hove Albion for four years.  The forward explained her reasons for joining the Addicks saying, “It’s really exciting, it a really great time to be at the club.  I think off the back of how close they were last year to promotion I think that our ambitions align with what we want from the season, I’m grateful to be here.”

Blackburn Rovers have confirmed that midfielder Jemima Dahou has joined the club permanently after leaving Manchester City.  Dahou spent last season at Rovers on a dual-registration deal with the 18-year-old making 13 appearances and scoring one goal.

Sophie Haywood has joined Newcastle United after her contract with Sheffield United expired.  The striker was part of the Aston Villa side that won the Championship in 2020 before joining the Blades in 2022.  28-year-old Haywood remarked, “I’m really proud to be part of this great club.  The ambition and support around the team is clear to see and I’m excited to get started.”

Bristol City have signed Harley Bennett from Watford.  Bennett has signed a one-year deal, with the option of a further year.  The 34-year-old defender signed for the Hornets in 2023 after spending four years with London City Lionesses.  After joining the Robins, Bennett commented, “I’m delighted to be here.  The club have huge ambitions and want to go straight back up, so I’m excited to be part of it.  To get such great crowds like the club have been doing is amazing too, and I can’t wait to meet the fans.”

Jessie Stapleton has joined Sunderland on a season-long loan from West Ham United.  The defender joined the Hammers in 2023 from Shelbourne and spent the second half of last season on loan at Reading where she made 11 appearances and scored one goal.  The 19-year-old has represented the Republic of Ireland at senior level, making her debut in 2022.  Stapleton said after joining for the season, “I’m delighted and I just can’t wait to get going now.  I’ve only been here a couple of days so far but I’m delighted to just be here, properly settle in a hit the ground running.”

Birmingham City have announced that Ashanti Akpan has joined on loan from Chelsea for the season.  The 18-year-old made her first team debut in 2023 and has represented England at youth levels.  Akpan said, “It feels great to be here.  This is going to be a really good experience for me and I’m just excited that it is here where I’m starting this next part of my journey” after joining the Blues.

Georgia Walters and Emma Taylor have both signed one-year contract extensions with Blackburn Rovers. 

Sheffield United have confirmed that Bethan Davies, Molly Graham and Ella Kinzett have all signed new contracts with the Blades.

Bristol City have announced that Megan Connolly has left the club following the conclusion of her contract.

Ash Hodson has confirmed she has retired from playing football at the end of the 2023/24 season.  Hodson made over 100 appearances for Liverpool as well as winning the WSL and Championship titles there.  She spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Birmingham City before joining Sheffield United last summer where she featured in all of their league games during her sole campaign with them.

Sheffield United forward Jess Sigsworth has announced she has retired from playing football.  Sigsworth won the second-tier title with both Doncaster Rovers Belles and Manchester United as well as the Golden Boot in both championship winning seasons.  The forward also played for Notts County and Leicester City.