Opposition…
Crystal Palace head coach Laura Kaminski could not have wished for a better first season in charge of the Eagles, as they secured promotion to the Barclays Women’s Super League last term with 14 wins and just four defeats from their 22 matches.
This was not the first time Kaminski had celebrated promotion in her coaching career, as she helped Tottenham Hotspur to the WSL during her three-year spell as an assistant head coach in north London.
Prior to joining the VBS Community Stadium outfit, Kaminski enjoyed five years at the Football Association, plying her trade as an FA Elite Coach of the Women’s U19 side, as well as coaching roles at Arsenal, Brighton, Watford, QPR and Chelsea.
Promotion to the WSL meant Kaminski was always going to add new faces to her squad to cope with the tests that England’s top flight poses, and nine players made the move to south London in the summer.
The Eagles negotiated loan deals with fellow WSL outfits Chelsea and Manchester City to bring in Jorja Fox and Poppy Pritchard respectively for the 2024/25 campaign. Experienced Denmark international Katrine Veje, who boasts more than 100 caps for her country, made the switch from divisional rivals Everton, while Ashleigh Weerden and Indiah-Paige Riley both joined from sides in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, eight players departed Palace in the summer, including duo Shauna Guyatt and Natalia Negri, who both joined Ipswich Town on free transfers, as Annabel Johnson announced her retirement after a five-year stint at the Eagles.