Women's Super League

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Liverpool have signed Tottenham Hotspur striker Martha Thomas on loan for the rest of the season.

The 29-year-old joins the Women's Super League's bottom side having made 66 appearances for Spurs, scoring 13 times.

Thomas joined the North London side in September 2023 from West Ham and is a Scotland international with 52 caps and 21 goals.

"I think it's the right fit, right now in my career," said Thomas, external.

"Even though it's a short loan, I'm really looking forward to be here and help this team climb the table where they deserve to be.

"I wouldn't have joined if I didn't think I could help and I didn't think it was a successful project going forward."

Gareth Taylor's side are yet to win a WSL match this season, drawing four times and losing on eight occasions, and sit one point behind West Ham in 11th.

Thomas is Liverpool's fourth signing of the January window, following the arrivals of forward Anna Josendal from Hammarby, goalkeeper Jennifer Falk and midfielder Alice Bergstom, both from Hacken.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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United States midfielder Sam Coffey brings "an energy" that Manchester City needed, says manager Andree Jeglertz.

The 27-year-old joined on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Portland Thorns last week for £600,000.

"There is something with American players that I really like. They have an energy and she has leadership in her and intensity in how she trains," added Jeglertz.

"That is something that can definitely help us grow. We have a lot of great players but we sometimes need a bit more energy in training sessions and the American way of communicating.

"She's also a great football player! It's the way she passes, covers a lot of ground, defends aggressively – there are a lot of things in her that will fit well in our team."

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Liverpool manager Gareth Taylor is confident his side can find their scoring touch while recognising Sunday's FA Cup tie at fourth-tier London Bees (13:00 GMT) will still be challenging.

The Reds are bottom of the Women's Super League, winless through 12 games and have only scored eight goals so far this season.

Nevertheless, four draws from their past six games has given Taylor hope of progress, and he wants that to continue in the "banana skin" this weekend.

"We know we're expected to win," he said. "Everybody sees an emphatic victory, but teams make it difficult. Nothing is a given.

"We have an opportunity to go and dominate a game in the way I see us doing and I am hoping that will be the outcome.

"With the way we play, we know we'll get balls into our wide players, get it into the final third and progress up the pitch as a team. But it is about putting the ball in the back of the net - and that's the hardest thing in football."

Liverpool have already brought in three players this transfer window in goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, full-back Alice Bergstrom and forward Anna Josendal. Taylor expects more activity before it closes on Tuesday, 3 February (23:00 GMT).

"We are still looking to do more business," he said. "We are close to a few things and hopefully will be able to update you soon."

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Talented Sweden striker Ellen Wangerheim is the latest addition to a Manchester United attack that has also been reinforced with Germany star Lea Schuller this window.

Wangerheim arrives in Manchester after scoring 17 goals for Hammarby to help them finish second in the Swedish league in November.

She was an unused substitute for Sweden when England beat them on penalties in the European Championship quarter-finals last summer.

Boss Marc Skinner said the new signing will allow his side to be "more unpredictable" in their quest to win titles this season.

"I thought we were becoming too predictable," he said. "The Manchester United spirit is about attacking with speed and invasion - and she brings that in abundance.

"She is a lovely quiet character off the field. On it, she gets alive. She wants to take people on and run behind and I felt we had lost that a little bit.

"She is 21 but has so much experience already. She had 3,000 minutes in 2025 but still sits in the category of us being able to add lots of quality to her football too.

"She is a rare find."

After completing the move, Wangerheim said: "I am so excited. It feels amazing to be here. It's a huge club with big history.

"Sitting here in this shirt is a proud moment for me. It's always been my dream to move abroad and to play in another country, in Europe and in a really big football club."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Birmingham City manager Amy Merricks says their ambitions should be taken seriously after signing Sweden midfielder Wilma Leidhammar from IFK Norrkoping for an undisclosed club-record fee.

Swedish media report the fee to be £316,000 which would surpass the £308,000 Arsenal paid Hammarby for Australia midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross in 2023.

The Blues, who currently sit second in the WSL 2, are pushing for promotion back to the top tier and are competing in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.

Leidhammar, 22, is an exciting addition from Sweden's Damallsvenskan, where she scored eight goals in 25 games last season.

"We've had a really, positive window and we're not done yet. We've added lots of players with really good experience and high potential to play at the pinnacle of women's football and that's where we want to be as a club," said manager Merricks.

"I've seen Wilma play for Sweden's youth teams multiple times. She brings, not only her ability on the pitch, but desire and professionalism.

"If anyone didn't take our ambitions seriously, I hope they really do after this window. It shows what we're pushing for."

Birmingham City take on third-tier side Hull City on Sunday (14:00 GMT) and Merricks says the Blues want to go all the way in the FA Cup.

She has urged her players to build on their positive start to the campaign which puts them in a strong position for the WSL 2 title race.

"We have a really good foundation and are in a good position. I don't have to do all the talking. The players set out their targets and know what they want to achieve.

"For me, it's about driving the actions and the performance behaviours that will get us success. I'm really happy with where we are but we want to push for more.

"We haven't been quiet about it. We want to win the league. That comes with a relentless desire every day to make sure our actions match that. Our job isn't done."

Joe Bradshaw
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Tottenham manager Martin Ho is taking the FA Cup seriously this weekend as he plots tangible success in his first season at the club.

Ho took over last summer after Spurs finished second bottom in the 2024-25 Women's Super League, but just past the midway point of this campaign, he has Tottenham in fourth, level with Arsenal in the third Champions League spot.

That was achieved thanks to a 1-0 win over Leicester on Sunday, and Ho will lock horns with Foxes counterpart Rick Passmoor once again in this weekend's FA Cup fourth round.

"It's a prestigious competition," Ho said. "Something every coach, club and player wants to be part of.

"We take every competition seriously - I don't see the cups as one where you rotate players for the sake of it. We'll go into the game with the strongest possible team, because we want to compete for all honours."

Ho has been clear he is ambitious to achieve at Tottenham and said doing well in the FA Cup is part of that objective.

"It can create special moments and real happiness to supporters," he said. "If we show ambition, desire and togetherness, this squad is capable of reaching the latter stages and competing to win.

"I wouldn't have joined if the club's ambition didn't match mine.

"The ownership has invested heavily in the team, in players, staff, facilities and infrastructure. They want this team competing in Europe consistently and challenging for honours domestically.

"I share that ambition completely."

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Manchester United boss Marc Skinner has explained his decision to replace midfielder Simi Awujo just 11 minutes after she came on as a substitute at Arsenal last Sunday.

Awujo replaced Fridolino Rolfe on 60 minutes but, following the dismissal of full-back Jayde Riviere five minutes later, the 22-year-old Canada international was taken off in favour of defensive reinforcements.

"I did it with a heavy heart," Skinner said. "It wasn't nice - it wasn't something I wanted to do.

"But it was the right thing for the team. My job is to look after individuals but to make sure the team functions the way we needed it in that moment.

"It was a positional necessity rather than anything personal.

"All you can do is make your decision and explain it because it affects another human. I felt I have done that and it should be put to bed now because Simi understood it."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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London City Lionesses manager Eder Maestre says it is a "dream" to be involved in the Women's FA Cup.

The 39-year-old joined the WSL in January having recently managed CD Tenerife Femenino in Spain's top-tier.

In his first game in charge, London City were held to a goalless draw by bottom side Liverpool.

They face Sunderland - currently eighth in the WSL 2 - in the Women's FA Cup on Saturday (12:15 GMT)y.

"For me, it is a very dramatic competition. Since I was a child, it was the competition that delivered the most surprising results," said Maestre.

"It is one of the most interesting and powerful competitions. Being part of it now as a coach is like a dream. I'm very pleased to be in it.

"I have been talking about the mindset that we need to improve - having that humble ambition. We need to respect Sunderland.

"They are going to play with that dream and the FA Cup energy."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Leicester City have signed forward Rachel Williams from Manchester United on a one-and-a-half-year deal, with a club option to extend for a year.

The 38-year-old, who began her senior career at Leicester in 2004, returns to the club having won two FA Cup titles with Birmingham City and United.

During her 16-year career, Williams has earned 13 caps for England and represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games.

She won the WSL Golden Boot in 2011 while at Birmingham City and brings a wealth of experience from time at former clubs including Chelsea and Tottenham.

"I started my career here and I've always said I'd like to come back. Leicester is my hometown," said Williams.

"I feel like I still have a lot to offer the club and the opportunity to come back is something I've been looking forward to doing."

During her four-year stay at United, Williams scored 21 goals in 90 appearances and linked up with former Birmingham City manager Marc Skinner.

She scored in their FA Cup final victory over Tottenham in 2024 and also grabbed an 88th-minute winner against Brighton in the 2023 semi-finals.

"Rachel is one of the unique footballers - an icon for our club," said Skinner.

"I got a lot of grief when we brought her in but she has carved out a historic position for herself with the 'Ole Gunnar Solskjaer' super-sub role.

"I can't speak of her highly enough. We wish her the very best for the rest of her career. It was with a heavy heart we allowed her to go but it was the right move."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Brighton manager Dario Vidosic expects midfielder Fran Kirby to remain at the club during the January transfer window despite reported interest from Juventus.

Reports in Italy, external claim Brighton have rejected three bids for 32-year-old Kirby but Vidosic says she is "very important" to the club.

He did not comment further on Juve's interest but emphasised the importance of Kirby, who joined from WSL champions Chelsea in 2024.

"She helps us a lot, not just on the field, but with leadership quality, experience and her calmness," said Vidosic.

"It helps the younger players and others around her. She leads by example. You can see when she's missing games, that there is a slight difference.

"We can't deny her quality or what she brings. She's definitely one I want here when 3 February rolls around!"

Brighton take on Nottingham Forest in this Sunday's FA Cup fourth round tie and he hopes success in the competition will help the club retain players like Kirby.

Asked if it was important to satisfy their ambitions with silverware, Vidosic said: "Yes. I think it's also the football style as well. When you look and feel that improvement, it's a big thing that helps. Fran sees it.

"The players are all ambitious and want to play at the highest level. We can't be angry at someone for those ambitions but we want to be right up there.

"We understand it's a process. It doesn't just happen overnight. We want to get to Wembley and I would love for this team to deliver silverware.

"The ambition is there but we need the likes of Fran, and players of that calibre, to help us achieve those ambitions."

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Newcastle manager Tanya Oxtoby says the gap between the Women's Super League and the second tier is "definitely closing".

Her side, currently sitting fourth in the WSL 2, are facing top-tier opposition West Ham in Friday's Women's FA Cup fourth round tie (19:30 GMT).

"When you look at the investment that goes into WSL 2 clubs in and around that top three or four - the squad depth and facilities and everything within that – then the gap is definitely closing," said Oxtoby, who joined Newcastle in November.

"There's still a physical gap, I think, that clubs are aware of. We're working really hard to make sure we're in a position to impact that.

"If clubs like ourselves can continue to develop then the pay-off is really exciting. We'll know on Friday what the gap is."

Oxtoby has vast experience in the competition having won three successive FA Cup trophies while assistant manager at Chelsea.

The former Northern Ireland head coach describes it as a "magical" competition.

"I know how special it can be. It's another opportunity for us to test ourselves against a really good side in a league that we want to be competing in," she added.

"It's also a really good opportunity for us to see where we're at. I want us to be really brave and play our style of football."