We can confirm that we have exercised the option to extend the contracts of Ashleigh Neville, Olga Ahtinen, Kit Graham and Josefine Rybrink for a further year.
One of our longest-serving players, signed from Coventry United in the summer of 2017 ahead of our 2017/18 WSL Championship campaign, defender Ashleigh featured in 26 of our 27 matches in all competitions last season, including 21 of 22 in the WSL. She's now up to 170 appearances.
Finland international Olga joined us in August, 2023 and featured 16 times in all competitions in 2024/25. Sweden international Josefine made six appearances after joining us in the January transfer window.
Kit, meanwhile, continues her rehabilitation from a serious knee injury sustained in August last year, ruling her out for the entirety of last season. Now training back on the grass again, Kit was signed in 2019 and has made 84 appearances.
From our Women’s Under-21s squad, Persis Oteng, Emily McMaster, Liamara Hensel-Burg, Maia Lazaro, Eloise Hall and Elkie Bowyer have completed their time in our Academy and will depart the Club this summer.
Emily captained our Under-21s this term, making 27 appearances in the campaign, while also spending the second half of the season with Maidenhead United on a dual registration. Maia, Eloise and Elkie, who all spent a number of years in our Academy, also enjoyed spells at Watford, Bournemouth and Ipswich respectively to gain first team minutes at senior level.
Persis finished the Professional Game Academy (PGA) League campaign with 15 goals – 19 in all competitions – while goalkeeper Liamara featured for our Under-21s in the PGA League across two seasons, having joined the Academy set-up in 2023.
We wish Emily, Maia, Eloise, Elkie, Persis and Liamara all the best in the next stages of their career.
Further squad updates will be provided in due course.