Women's Super League: Eight new stars to watch out for in the 2023/24 season 

Anticipation was soaring for the 2023/24 Women’s Super League, and the first weekend of football didn’t disappoint.

The campaign is poised to elevate women’s football in England to even higher heights than before, following a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament earlier this calendar year.

With the dawn of a new domestic season comes a wave of new signings and fresh faces, showcasing a flurry of business activity among the twelve top-flight sides.

From star signings to flourishing youth, Olympics.com takes a look at eight new stars to keep an eye on during the 2023/24 Women’s Super League season.

Alessia Russo

Having secured a domestic trophy in February, Arsenal will be looking to build further upon their success from the 2022/23 season.

In a bid to do so, the Gunners had a busy transfer window, recruiting a wealth of proven and emerging talent.

The most prolific of their signings came in the form of Lioness Alessia Russo.

After failing to sign a new contract with her prior club Manchester United, the 24-year-old moved to North London in July 2023 on a free transfer - what was seen as an incredible piece of business for Arsenal.

During her time in Manchester, Russo netted 22 goals in 46 appearances and has already managed 15 in 30 games for England, having featured this summer at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

There is no doubt that Russo will prove invaluable to Arsenal’s frontline this season as they look to better their third place finish from last year

Kyra Cooney-Cross

Arsenal’s busy window continued with the signing of Australian youngster Kyra Cooney-Cross who joined the Gunners from Swedish side Hammarby.

Having featured for the Matildas in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 21-year-old impressed fans across the globe including former Arsenal men’s star, Ian Wright.

Wright revealed on his podcast that he begged Arsenal and Australia defender Steph Catley to persuade Cooney-Cross on a move to North London.

It was the 21-year-old’s performance against Canada in the FIFA Women’s World Cup group stages that caught the attention of Ian Wright. “We’ve got to get her Steph,” he revealed that he told Catley. “We’ve got to get her at our place. Have some words, see if it’s something she might want to do”.

Low and behold, Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall secured the deal on transfer deadline day to further strengthen the Gunners’ midfield setup.

Amanda Ilestedt

The Swedish international emerged as an unlikely Golden Boot contender at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, managing four goals across the tournament.

And much to Arsenal’s delight, the 30-year-old had already made the move from PSG to North London in June 2023 - a month before her glittering performance on the world stage.

Her newfound goal scoring talent, coupled with her solid defensive displays in Australia and a Ballon D'or nomination, make Ilestedt a glittering asset for the North London side.

The Gunners suffered from a terrible string of injuries throughout last season which exposed their lack of squad depth - a vulnerability that Jonas Eidevall has quite clearly worked on this summer.

Geyse

In the midst of the FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer, Manchester United announced the signing of Geyse from Barcelona.

The Brazilian forward will look to fill an Alessia Russo-shaped gap in the Manchester United frontline, and her goal scoring ability suggests she could do so comfortably.

Geyse joins Marc Skinner’s side off the back of an incredible treble-winning season with Barcelona, having won La Liga F, the Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League.

Having played in Brazil, Portugal and Spain, the move marks Geyse’s first taste of women’s football in England and she will undoubtedly look to hit the ground running.

With a history of scoring 49 goals in 30 appearances for Benfica, as well as 34 in 58 appearances for Madrid CFF, Geyse’s talent in front of goal can only strengthen Manchester United’s chances of securing their first ever WSL title.

Ebony Salmon

Having started her career in the Aston Villa academy, England’s Ebony Salmon has returned home to Birmingham after a stint in the NWSL.

Her debut season for Racing Louisville saw her finish as the team’s highest league goalscorer, but her playing time for the club declined under a new manager in her second season. She subsequently signed for Houston Dash where she ended up scoring 10 goals in 30 appearances, before agreeing on a three year contract that would see her return to Villa.

At the age of just 22, Salmon has her entire career ahead of her and returns to the WSL with a wealth of experience from playing in North America.

Aston Villa manager, Carla Ward, previously worked with Salmon before her move to the States and is more than aware of the potential she has, explaining to the media that “she's got pace, power and the ability to change a game."

Missy Bo Kearns

This season could be Missy Bo Kearns’ year to shine.

Liverpool born and bred, Kearns joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of eight and has been with the Reds ever since - apart from a short loan spell to Blackburn Rovers in 2021.

Although not a new signing for Liverpool, Kearns extended her contract with the club prior to the 23/24 season and will be a key component in the side’s success this year.

As Liverpool Women prepare for a huge move to their new training facility at Melwood, the club will look to put their recent poor history behind them in a bid to rediscover success - and Missy Bo Kearns is the engine room that can push this side in the right direction.

Made clear by her nomination for the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year award last season, the 22 year old has all the components of a glittering career ahead of her - for both club and country.

Yet to make her senior England debut, Kearns has already netted seven goals in 14 appearances for England U23’s , and will look to build on the 5 goals she scored for Liverpool last season as the Reds start to lay the foundations for an exciting period of growth.

Ashley Lawrence

Having lost both Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder to Bayern Munich, it was evident that Chelsea would need to strengthen their squad depth if they were to challenge for a record seventh WSL title this season - and they’ve done so with Canadian Ashley Lawrence.

The 28-year-old spent the last six years in France with PSG before signing for the reigning WSL champions in July 2023 and has established herself as one of the best full-backs in the women’s game.

Having won Gold at Tokyo 2020, Lawrence brings a wealth of winning experience to an already incredibly talented Chelsea side and in doing so, joins her Canadian teammates Jessie Fleming and Kadeisha Buchanan.

Jill Roord

Manchester City paid a club record fee earlier this year to sign Netherlands international Jill Roord - and for good reason.

Having already scored on her debut in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over West Ham, the Dutch midfielder will undoubtedly bring a huge level of value to Gareth Taylor’s side who will have their eyes on at least a top three WSL finish this season.

This is Roord’s second stint in the WSL after spending two years at Arsenal during which she netted nine goals in 33 appearances.

Now, after two successful seasons with Wolfsburg, she returns to England with a desire to win big.