Women's Super League

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Basketballer Giannis Antetokounmpo says he joined the ownership group of Chelsea Women.

In a post on X, he said he was "proud and honoured" to partner with Alexis Ohanian, the founder of social media platform Reddit who bought a stake in the club in 2025.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Antetokounmpo, 31, said Chelsea is a "historic club built on passion, excellence, and a willing culture".

"Chelsea's history speaks for itself, and I'm excited to contribute to the future by supporting continued growth and impact in women's sport," he wrote. "This is about ambition, legacy, and pushing the game to new heights. Up the Chels!"

It is the latest in a series of minority stakes in professional sports teams that the NBA star has taken, following investments in baseball side Milwaukee Brewers, football club Nashville SC and the Los Angeles Golf Club.

Ohanion purchased an 8-10% share in Chelsea Women, believed to be worth around £20m, last year.

Manchester United made it four wins in a row across all competitions with a 2-0 victory at Leicester.

Julia Zigiotti Olme gave them the perfect start when her cross evaded everyone to find the corner after 13 minutes.

They had to wait until the final two minutes to seal the victory when substitute Elisabeth Terland scored from close range.

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Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says seeing Arsene Wenger on stage at the Champions Cup presentation last Sunday was a "special moment".

The legendary ex-Arsenal men's team manager was there to hand out the medals after Slegers' side saw off Brazilian champions Corinthians 3-2 in extra-time to become the tournament's first winners.

"He has been one of my big inspirations," Slegers said before this weekend's return to Women's Super League action against runaway leaders Manchester City.

"I watched his team play when he coached Arsenal but I didn't know he was going to be there. It was a special moment for me when he handed out the medals.

"We just exchanged some words on the stage - I didn't see him afterwards unfortunately."

Since losing to Manchester United in the League Cup semi-finals, Arsenal have won three in a row but trail WSL frontrunners City by 13 points, albeit with a game in hand.

"We are in a good rhythm as a team," Slegers added. "A lot of players are performing.

"We're very proud of winning our first trophy of the season and making history as the first team to do it. But it fuels us to win more."

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London City Lionesses full-back Maddi Wilde has joined Celtic on loan until the end of the season.

The 22-year-old played a role in their promotion to the Women's Super League last season but is yet to make a league appearance so far in 2025-26.

She will now play in the Scottish Women's Premier League until the end of the campaign.

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Manchester City boss Andree Jeglertz says Arsenal's victory in Fifa's inaugural Champions Cup last weekend shows how "special" the Women's Super League is at the moment.

Just hours after City beat Chelsea to go 11 points clear at the top of the WSL, Arsenal saw off Brazilian side Corinthians in extra time to take the trophy at Emirates Stadium and arguably lay claim to the title of best club side in world football.

However, if City beat Arsenal on Sunday (12:00 GMT), they will be 16 points ahead of Renee Slegers' side in the domestic league.

"Congratulations to them - of course they should claim that [best in the world]," said Jeglertz when asked about the victory.

"It is a great achievement for them, but also for our league. It shows [the WSL] is on a special level that they are there, but there are a couple of teams ahead of them at the moment.

"There are a lot of things I admire about [Arsenal]. They are a benchmark and we can learn a lot from what they are doing."

City's 5-1 victory over Chelsea means they have scored 10 goals more than any other team and also have the league's second stingiest defence with just 12 conceded. Only Arsenal have conceded fewer - just 10 goals in 13 games.

Jeglertz said his players take pride in being excellent at both ends of the field.

"We celebrate our defending and in attack it has been very important to have different goalscorers, not just Bunny [Khadija] Shaw and Kerolin," he said.

"This team like to spend time together on and off the field and it makes them really believe in one another. They are willing to give everything for each other.

"They have showed so many times that they can make decisions on the field and it is not us telling them what to do from the sidelines. They have come very far in that."

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Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor believes his side's fight to climb the Women's Super League table will rest heavily on games against fellow strugglers - but he is targeting a leap towards safety with three points at home to mid-table Aston Villa on Sunday (12:00 GMT).

While remaining bottom of the league, four points from their past three games has pushed the Reds into a group of four alongside Everton, Leicester and West Ham in the scrap for survival.

Whoever finishes 12th in the WSL will go into a play-off against the team that comes third in WSL 2.

Liverpool will play the three sides currently nearest to them in the standings in the space of four matches, starting next month.

"We are taking everything we can," Taylor said. "We know the games against those teams will be really important - and things will be really close.

"Where we want to be is in touch, when it matters.

"Of course, things could change rapidly. If we win at the weekend, then get something at Chelsea, it could look a lot different - and we are tracking in the right direction."

Defeat at Manchester United last Sunday came off the back of Liverpool's first win of the season against Tottenham, and Taylor says that performance was more indicative of where his team currently are.

"January was positive," he said, after being nominated for manager of the month. "It is something we want to build on. We look so much better, fitter, more robust and the signs are really good.

"Against Aston Villa, we need to be really alert to danger, impose ourselves on them and then make them defend at every opportunity we can."

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London City Lionesses' marquee signing Delphine Cascarino says the team's "big ambition" persuaded her to make the switch from San Diego Wave in the transfer window.

The 29-year-old France forward won multiple titles at Lyon before moving to the National Women's Soccer League in the USA 18 months ago. Now, though, she has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at Hayes Lane.

Despite only being promoted last summer, London City are in the top six of the Women's Super League and Cascarino joins the likes of Grace Geyoro, Danielle van de Donk, Nikita Parris and Kosovare Asllani in new manager's Eder Maestre's squad.

"They are very ambitious," Cascarino told a special episode of BBC Sounds' Women's Football Weekly. "They want to qualify for the Champions League - then win it.

"Big ambition, but I like that."

Cascarino is yet to make her first appearance in English football and she remains sidelined for the next few weeks through injury but told the podcast the prospect of "a new adventure" helped to prompt her return to Europe.

"I hesitated, because I was happy in San Diego, but I always dreamed of playing in this league," she said. "It's one of the best in women's football.

"This is a new team with a new coach and environment, but for a second division team to be at this level already is good. We need time to adapt and keep progressing."

Listen to the full discussion, plus interviews with team-mates Danielle van de Donk and Freya Godfrey on a special London City episode over on BBC Sounds

On a bonus episode of Women's Football Weekly, host Ben Haines heads back to London City Lionesses to check in on how their first season in the top flight is progressing.

He catches up with new signing Delphine Cascarino, midfielder Danielle van de Donk and Freya Godfrey.

Listen now on BBC Sounds

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Spurs manager Martin Ho says "these are the games you want to be part of" as he prepares for his first match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday against rivals Chelsea.

Tottenham are one point behind the defending Women's Super League champions in the race for the Champions League spots, and Ho is hopeful of a bumper crowd to inspire his team to victory.

"Playing in the stadium is huge for us, the club and the fans," he said. "It'll be my first game there as head coach and we know we must perform at our best.

"We want the supporters to make a lot of noise, to make it hostile and a place where people fear to come. The fans can lift the team to show what we are capable of."

Like most other WSL clubs, Tottenham play most of their homes games at a smaller ground than the men's side, in their case Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road, and Ho appreciates it will take time to build a fanbase big enough to make matches at the main stadium more viable.

"This is the best stadium in world football in my opinion - it's authentic, it's iconic," he said. "It is a big opportunity for us.

"The board want us to play here and they are behind it, but to grow a fanbase you have to perform consistently to make them excited. Everyone wants to sell out a stadium, but you have to be realistic that it takes entertainment and it takes time.

"That is down to me to motivate and energise the players. To make people want to come, they have to wear the badge with pride and play with passion to build connection.

"If we put in good performances, we will probably do that."

Watch Tottenham v Chelsea on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 14:25 GMT on Sunday

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

Arsenal midfielder Maddy Earl has joined Glasgow City on loan for the rest of the season.

The 19-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at WSL 2 side Ipswich Town, making five appearances, but was recalled in January.

The England youth international signed her first professional contract with Arsenal in last year but is yet to make her debut.

Glasgow City currently sit top of the Scottish Women’s Premier League having gone unbeaten after 16 games.

They also signed Manchester City defender Codie Thomas this week in preparation for their clash with rivals Celtic on Sunday.

Image source, Everton Football Club

Earlier this week, Scott Phelan was appointed interim manager of Everton Women until the end of the season following the sacking of Brian Sorenson.

Speaking in his first news conference before the game against London City Lionesses, he told BBC Sport how it had unfolded.

"I met the players for the first time today," he said. "We had our first training session together.

"There has been a lot of emotion over the last 24 hours. We went through the first step of getting to know each other, making the players understand what we can expect from us as the coaching staff and also what we expect from them.

"From that point on, the players have been really good, really positive. The energy and effort we asked for was so evident from the first ball that rolled.

"It was a real privilege to be around them and it makes my excitement levels grow even more for the opportunities that will arrive for the nine or so remaining games."

Previously Everton's Under-18s coach, Phelan explained his move into the role was made easier by his profile within the club.

"I was already in the building, which I think helped the situation," he said. "My affiliation with the club goes back a long time, as a youth player, as a coach.

"People have told me that that the women's team is very important – it's not just a recent thing with the growth of the game and how the profile has improved – the presence of the women's team at Everton has been here for a long time."

On the style of play, Everton fans can expect, Phelan said:

"We spoke to the players briefly today. We haven't gone into any details on tactics, but we have talked principles:

"Being purposeful with and without the ball. In possession, having some direction and spending a little bit more time in areas higher up the pitch, will be something that we want to encourage quite quickly.

"We want the team to be confident and play with freedom and bravery and ultimately enjoy it.

"We want to put on performances that are enjoyable to watch."