After winning the Champions League, Arsenal will have their sights set on a return to WSL glory as the 2025/26 season heads underway.
Gunners head coach Renée Slegers gears up for her first full season in charge, and Arsenal have set themselves high expectations for the campaign ahead. Speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the new campaign, Arsenal defender Steph Catley said the side have “no excuse” not to aim for the Women’s Super League title.
To Arsenal fans, this message rings true. After six years of Chelsea’s domestic domination, the European champions will have a whole new expectation on their shoulders this rime around.
After the departure of Jonas Eidevall, interim head coach Renée Slegers seemed to be a quick-fix for a wildfire. However, that perception quickly changed when the Gunners stepped out onto the pitch as a team reborn. The ability to problem solve and bring the love of football back to the playing group saw Arsenal go from 0-0 draws to Everton, to trophy-lifting victories over Barcelona.
This time around Slegers will be set with the task of returning the club back to domestic glory, a place they haven’t been to in far too long. There will be no longer be an underdog narrative, a redemption arc or a fairytale. Just football, from the start to the finish.
The Halfway Line previews all you need to know ahead of the Arsenal’s 2025/26 season.
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Summer transfer window
Having waved goodbye to Amanda Ilestedt, Lina Hurtig, Teyah Goldie and Freya Godfrey, Arsenal were in for a busy window.
Arsenal commenced the summer transfer window in impressive fashion after locking down 21-year-old starlet Olivia Smith for a world record breaking fee of £1 million. After making a strong impression in her maiden WSL season, several clubs were chasing Smith’s signature. Landing in red and white, Smith will bring dynamic directness and pace to the Gunners.
After joining Arsenal on loan in January 2025, Chloe Kelly was quick to win over the hearts of Arsenal fans. The Lioness played an integral role in the side’s Champions League winning campaign, plying her trade on both flanks. During England’s victorious Euro 2025 campaign, Kelly displayed her strengths from the left channel, assisting two goals in under 110 seconds against Sweden. This versatility will be a strong asset for Slegers, allowing Kelly, Smith, Caitlin Foord and Beth Mead to rotate fluidly.
Kelly isn’t the only homecoming this transfer window as Taylor Hinds returns to north London. The former Liverpool captain was a part of the Hale End academy in her youth, before being let go by Arsenal to explore other opportunities. The left back brings an exciting brand of attacking football to Slegers’ squad, allowing the side to boast depth and versatility in a position that has been locked down by Katie McCabe.
Another goalkeeper arrives in north London as the Gunners welcome the acquisition of VfL Wolfsburg goalkeeper Anneke Borbe. The 24-year-old shotstopper became the Wolfsburg number one in February 2025, playing the side’s remaining 14 fixtures of the 2025/26 campaign. Following the news that Arsenal goalkeeper Naomi Williams has departed the club to join Bristol City on loan for the WSL2 season, Borbe is expected to have some sort of role to play in the campaign ahead.
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Arsenal players to watch in the WSL
Following the rumoured departure of Lia Wälti, it is clear that Arsenal’s Kyra Cooney-Cross will play a pivotal role for the Gunners this season. The 23-year-old has been with the north London club since the summer of 2023, and her time in the starting setup has ebbed and flowed. When at her best, Cooney-Cross has proved herself to be the centre of a very bright future at Arsenal. Preseason friendlies against both Tottenham and West Ham saw the Australian midfielder steady the ship and break lines for the Gunners.
American right back Emily Fox has already proved that she is not only one of Arsenal’s brightest players, but one of the world’s best. Earning a Ballon d’Or nomination for a strong campaign with the Gunners, Fox brings defensive discipline and attacking prowess to Slegers’ side. Fox docked up 1745 minutes in the WSL last season, quickly becoming one of Arsenal’s most integral pieces of the puzzle.
Last season’s WSL golden boot winner Alessia Russo will be eager to make waves once again after a stellar start to 2025. The Champions League and Euros winner keeps adding strengths to her armoury, and this season will likely be no different. With an unparalleled hold-up play and a growing intuition in front of goal, Russo will be looking to climb to the next level this season.
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Arsenal must improve WSL shortcomings
The truth is, winning the Champions League puts a hefty weight of expectation onto Arsenal’s shoulders, and rightly so. It has been seven years since Arsenal last won the WSL, a statistic simply not good enough for the history’s stature. London is blue, and Arsenal have been minding the gap. A successful season would mean pushing the Blues all the way to the final day, or going one step further and claiming the ultimate prize.
When it comes to the Champions League, Arsenal will dare to believe in magic once again. The question is whether they have the depth to repeat that success while maintaining control across all three domestic competitions. Last season, Slegers was given a free pass in England as Arsenal stumbled in every domestic race—but lifting the Champions League trophy made everything else fade into the background.
This time around, Slegers has enjoyed a full preseason to shape her squad and now begins the WSL campaign on her own terms. The real question is whether the Gunners can claim silverware without the driving force of a redemption narrative, a challenge that will truly test their grit, determination, and quality across a 22-game season.