Bristol City Women have plenty to feel good about heading into the summer, with Lexi Lloyd-Smith and Emily Syme both recognised at the Barclays WSL Football Awards after another solid campaign for Charlotte Healy’s side under their new Mercury13 ownership.

Lloyd-Smith claimed the WSL2 Golden Boot after finishing the season as the division’s top scorer, while both players earned places in the second tier’s Team of the Season. It is a genuine statement of intent from a club that has been building quietly and steadily over the past year.

A Golden Boot Won in the Most Dramatic Fashion

Lloyd-Smith’s top scorer honour came down to the very last day of the season. Travelling to Bramall Lane, she scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United that included two goals deep into stoppage time, with the decisive third arriving in the 97th minute.

She pipped both teammate Rio Hardy and Sheffield United’s Amy Andrews to the Golden Boot with 11 goals across 21 league appearances. That is the kind of performance that defines a season and deserves every bit of recognition it received.

Syme Earns Her Place in the Team of the Season

Lloyd-Smith was not alone in being honoured. Emily Syme’s inclusion in the midfield of the WSL2 Team of the Season reflects a campaign in which she was one of the more consistent performers in the division.

The two players had already won Bristol City’s Player and Young Player of the Season awards respectively, so this recognition at a wider level feels like a natural follow-on.

City Will Be Back Pushing for Promotion

Bristol City finished fourth in WSL2, five points behind Charlton Athletic and the play-off spot. That gap is not insurmountable. With Lloyd-Smith in this kind of form and new ownership investing in the project, they will be genuine contenders for promotion next season.

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Birmingham City are heading back to the Women’s Super League, and they are doing so with a squad that is going to look very different from the one that earned them promotion.

Eight players have been confirmed as departures following the conclusion of the season, with three loan players also returning to their parent clubs. It is a significant overhaul, and the club will need to get their recruitment right if they want to survive in the top flight.

The two names that will hurt the most are Lucy Quinn and club captain Christie Harrison-Murray.

Quinn brought creativity, leadership, and big-moment quality to a side that needed all three during a tough WSL2 campaign.

Harrison-Murray led the team as captain through the entirety of the promotion push. Losing the player who lifted the dressing room and dragged this squad to the top flight is a genuine risk heading into such a demanding first season back.

The Full List of Departures

Alongside Quinn and Harrison-Murray, goalkeeper Adrianna Franch departs after joining mid-season. Lily Agg, Michaela Kovacs, Poppy Irvine, Shanade Hopcroft, and Tegan McGowan are also leaving. That is a substantial amount of experience and squad depth walking out of the door at once.

The Challenge Ahead in the WSL

Promotion is wonderful. Staying up is the hard part. Birmingham know better than most how unforgiving the WSL can be for newly promoted sides, having experienced relegation before. The summer window is not just important for this club, it is absolutely critical.

What Comes Next

Birmingham are expected to be among the busiest clubs in the transfer market over the coming weeks. They need goals, leadership, and WSL experience. The foundation of promotion is there. Now they have to build something on top of it quickly.

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Mary Earps is heading back to England, and London City Lionesses want to be the club that brings her home. The 33-year-old is set to leave Paris Saint-Germain when her contract expires in June, and the ambition of Michele Kang’s project at London City makes them a genuinely credible destination for one of the most recognisable goalkeepers in the world.

Earps was on the bench for PSG’s 1-0 play-off semi-final defeat to Paris FC on Saturday, which effectively confirmed the end of her two-year spell in France. She made 54 appearances for the club, kept 12 clean sheets in the league this season, and PSG still finished third and 13 points behind Lyon. That tells you everything about how difficult things have been in Paris.

What Earps Would Bring to London City

This would be a statement signing of the highest order. Earps is a two-time FIFA Best Goalkeeper of the Year, a Euro 2022 winner and someone who has over 100 appearances for Manchester United before her PSG move.

London City finished sixth in their debut WSL season and they are clearly not satisfied with that. Adding Earps in goal would immediately make them a more credible top-half outfit and signal serious intent for year two in the top flight.

No Agreement Yet But Optimism Remains

Sources inside the club have confirmed no deal is in place, but the tone is positive. London City have also been linked with Barcelona defender Mapi Leon and Arsenal’s Beth Mead, who has drawn interest from Manchester City alongside other clubs.

A Summer of Enormous Movement

Earps is just one name in what is shaping up to be one of the most dramatic free agent markets in WSL history. Alexia Putellas, Sam Kerr, Khadija Shaw and Katie McCabe are all potentially available. The summer of 2026 is going to be something else entirely.

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