Princess Ademiluyi – Charlton (on loan from West Ham)
The highly regarded forward made history when she made her debut for the West Ham senior side in May 2023, becoming the first player who had come through the club foundation’s Player Pathway to do so. The 18-year-old is now on loan at Charlton, where she has one start and nine substitute appearances in the Championship. She signed her first professional contract in July 2024 and received her first England call up to the Under-19s in October.
Michelle Agyemang – Brighton (on loan from Arsenal)
Agyemang made her senior debut for Arsenal at just 16 years old, in the 2022-23 season, before joining Watford for a season-long loan. The centre-forward performed well with the Hornets, despite being embroiled in a relegation battle they would lose, with five goals in 10 games in all competitions. She shone at the Under-17 European Championship in 2023, scoring four times in the group stage as England navigated their way to the semi-final stage before receiving her first call-up to the England Under-23s in October. This season, she is on loan at Brighton, competing with a star-studded group of attacking players for minutes in the WSL, regularly used as a substitute by the manager, Dario Vidosic, and playing on the left of a front three.
Lola Brown – Chelsea
Brown has only played 31 minutes for Chelsea after signing a three-year professional contract in November, but there is a real buzz around the 17-year-old midfielder. Despite her age and Chelsea’s stacked squad of international talent, she made her debut for the club at Stamford Bridge against Celtic in the Champions League two days after signing her first pro deal. Brown, who was born in Malta but moved to England as a child, impressed at the Under-17 World Cup in the Dominican Republic and coolly dispatched the penalty to kick off England’s tournament and run to the semi-final.
Megan Collett – Southampton
Collett has been a stalwart at the back for Southampton, starting all 10 of their Championship matches this season, having helped the side earn promotion to the second tier in 2021-22 and to a fourth-place finish last term. The Saints may currently sit sixth in the table, five points off Birmingham at the top, but they have the second-best defensive record in the division, joint with Newcastle and only behind Birmingham. The 19-year-old signed her first professional contract with the club in 2023, having come through the academy. She made her debut for the England Under-19s in February and won a call up to the Under-23s in November.
Teyah Goldie – London City Lionesses (on loan from Arsenal)
The centre-back is the only non-teenager in the list, at 20, but having suffered two anterior cruciate ligament injuries in little over a year, she is having to start again. A dual registration with Watford was signed in January 2022 and she was handed the team’s player of the month award one month later but had her loan cut short by her first ACL rupture, in her right knee, in March 2022. The second came in her left knee in August 2023, shortly after she had made her return. Now she is on loan at London City Lionesses, who are third in the Championship just one point behind Birmingham at the top and Bristol City in second place. Goldie has started nine of the team’s 10 league games and scored once. She has also resumed her international career, called up to the England Under-23s in October having previously captained the Under-15s and played for the Under-19s.
Nelly Las – Leicester
The 17-year-old defender has only made two substitute appearances for Leicester City this season, but she has been shining for Natalie Henderson’s England Under-17 side. The right-back played every game during England’s run to the Under-17 World Cup semi-finals, making her debut for Leicester in the League Cup a week before flying out to the Dominican Republic. At the World Cup she scored once and provided two assists in an incredible 4-2 win over Mexico in the group stage, with England coming from behind despite being reduced to 10 players.
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Lily Murphy – Manchester City
Murphy joined Manchester City’s academy in 2022 and has spent two years working her way towards the senior side – a dual registration with Stoke for the 2023-24 season helping that progression. She is known for her blistering pace, having represented England at under-19 level in football and represented England at youth level as a sprinter, in the 100m. The 18-year-old winger recently signed her first professional contract with the club having joined Gareth Taylor’s side for its pre-season tour in Australia and made her senior debut in the 5-0 win over Paris FC in Champions League qualifying.
Lexi Potter – Crystal Palace (on loan from Chelsea)
The box-to-box midfielder is spending her second season on loan at Crystal Palace from Chelsea, having played 19 times in a Championship-winning campaign last season. The 18-year-old joined Chelsea aged eight and became the youngest player, at 17, to sign a professional contract before the 2023-24 season, penning a four-year deal in August. She was voted as Crystal Palace’s player of the month for November after an instrumental performance in the 2-0 win over Leicester. Potter captained England to the semi-finals of the Under-19 Euros in the summer and scored England’s second against the Netherlands in 3-1 friendly win in October.
Katie Reid – Arsenal
The 18-year-old centre-back returned from a loan spell with Watford in February and signed her first professional contract with Arsenal in October. At Watford the centre-back impressed, playing 13 times and making 10 starts for the Championship side. Like Brown, Reid made her senior debut in the Champions League, coming on as a substitute for Arsenal against the Norwegian side Vålerenga. The spot next to Leah Williamson is far from nailed on, with Steph Catley most recently converted from full-back to partner the England captain. Meanwhile, Laia Codina and Lotte Wubben-Moy will also be ahead of her in the pecking order but, with Reid so highly rated, minutes will come.
Mari Ward – Bristol City
Ward has started seven times and made nine league appearances for Bristol City as they bid to jump straight back up into the WSL. The wing-back joined Bristol’s academy from Plymouth in 2022 and made her debut for the senior side in January 2023. The 18-year-old signed her first professional contract in January 2024 and has been a key part of the team’s battle for promotion, with Bristol currently level on points with table-topping Birmingham but with an inferior goal difference. She has represented England at under-17 and under-19 levels.
Source: theguardian.com
