From Popp to Diani: 10 female transfers you might have missed during the men’s World Cup | Transfer window
There was a host of women’s football transfers that were hard to miss between June and July, despite the dominance of the men’s World Cup. Among them were the move of Beth Mead from Arsenal to Manchester City, Mary Earps and Georgia Stanway returning to the Women’s Super League with the London City Lionesses and Arsenal, Sam Kerr leaving Chelsea to return to Gotham FC and, most prominently, the change of game of Alexia Putellas from Barcelona to London City.
But here are 10 transfers that might not have been missed while attention was focused on the action in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Alexandra Popp went to Borussia Dortmund
Three-time Champions League winner Alex Popp may be reaching the twilight of his playing career but his move to Borussia Dortmund, signing a three-year contract with the club, after 14 years with Wolfsburg shows he is not ready to hang up his boots. The 35-year-old played a major role for club and country, scoring 112 goals in 219 games for Wolfsburg and 67 goals in 145 games for Germany before retiring from international football in 2024. A fan of Borussia Dortmund whose “heart beats for this club”, Popp could not pass up the opportunity to establish a women’s team20.
Kirsty Hanson went to Tottenham
The 28-year-old was heavily sought after by Spurs after a fourth season at Aston Villa. Last year Hanson said he was working on adding more goals to his game – at the end of last season he was the top goalscorer in the WSL, finishing with 12 in 22 games, which was 43% of Villa’s total and just one goal behind second-placed Alessia Russo. He heads to a focused Tottenham side giving their manager, Martin Ho, the tools to push closer to, or even break into, the top four.
Ally Sentnor in Angel City
Sentnor, who was drafted first in the 2024 NWSL draft, was the subject of a blockbuster $850,000 (£635,000) trade between the Kansas City Current and Angel City on June 19. He then made his debut for his new club on 3 July, starting in a 2–0 win against the Orlando Pride. The USA women’s national team player has scored seven goals and provided three assists in 23 international matches and, at just 22 years old, has a lot of football ahead of her.
Felicia Schröder went to Real Madrid
Many clubs were circling but in the end Felicia Schröder completed a big money move from Häcken to Real Madrid. Several Swedish outlets have reported that the 19-year-old’s deal is worth more than 15m Swedish kronor (£1.15m). She attracted international attention as she scored 91 goals in 128 games for Häcken and starred in the inaugural UEFA Women’s Europa Cup, finishing as top scorer with eight goals, four of which came in the two-legged final against Hammarby.
Manaka Matsukubo plays for Chelsea
The 21-year-old, who can play as a forward or attacking midfielder, joined Chelsea from North Carolina Courage for an undisclosed fee but, as one of the most exciting talents in the women’s game, is unlikely to come cheap. The Japanese player scored 11 goals, became the youngest player in the NWSL to score a hat-trick, and was named the NWSL midfielder of the year in 2025. He reached five goals in nine games in the 2026 season before Chelsea pounced earlier this month.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd at OL Lyonnes
The 29-year-old won three league titles, two FA Cups and two League titles with Chelsea, including a domestic treble in . Rytting Kaneryd is one of several attacking players to leave Chelsea this summer with Sam Kerr, Guro Reiten and Catarina Macario also gone as they revamp their front line in a bid to regain their WSL crown after Manchester City ended their six-year title run.
Noémie Mouchon for Everton
The loss of striker Kelly Gago, who signed for West Ham, was slightly tempered by the arrival of French striker Noémie Mouchon from Leicester. Mouchon did not have an easy time at Leicester after arriving from Reims with much anticipation. The 23-year-old injured his anterior cruciate ligament one month into his first season in the WSL and was ruled out of the campaign. He played 16 games and scored two goals in the WSL last season but only started twice. Everton will be hoping he can find the form that saw him score nine goals in 22 games for Reims in the 2023-24 season.
Denise O’Sullivan went to Gotham (on loan)
The influential Republic of Ireland midfielder returns to the NWSL with Gotham after six months with Liverpool. The 32-year-old spent 10 seasons in the US before moving to Liverpool in January, with the Houston Dash and the North Carolina Courage (although he has had several loan spells in Australia and England). He won the NWSL Shield in 2017 and again in 2018 and 2019 when the Courage regained the NWSL championship, with O’Sullivan named the team’s MVP both years. He has 22 goals in 132 games for Ireland.
Bethany England to Crystal Palace
The departure of Tottenham’s Bethany England was mourned by fans, with the former Chelsea goalscorer having scored a record 32 WSL goals in three-and-a-half seasons, helping them reach the FA Cup final in 2024. The 32-year-old has signed a two-year contract with Crystal Palace, who were promoted to second place in the WSL2024. After four WSL titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups with Chelsea, the Englishman brings a wealth of experience to Palace.
Kadidiatou Diani to London City Lionesses
The arrivals of Alexia Putellas and Mary Earps have been the catalyst in transfer talk for the London City Lionesses, while the purchase of French striker Kadidiatou Diani from Lyons for over £500,000 has flown slightly under the radar. The 31-year-old scored 41 goals in 93 appearances in three seasons for the Champions League giants following his 92 goals in 168 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain. Michelle Kang, owner of London City and Lyonnes, will be hoping to bring that victory to an exciting WSL side. They finished sixth last season, their first campaign in the top flight, nine points behind Tottenham, but they want more and are spending big to improve.
