Why summers of change beckon for WSL giants

• Published3 hours ago

For six straight years, Chelsea won the Women's Super League. But on Saturday at Stamford Bridge, it felt somewhat like the ending of an era.

Not only did they slump to a third-placed finish in their defence of a title, but Sonia Bompastor's side will have to go through qualifying for the Champions League after Arsenal beat Liverpool to seal second place.

Stalwarts of Chelsea's title-winning sides under Emma Hayes bode farewell to the club on Saturday, with Sam Kerr playing her final game for the club and Millie Bright being honoured after retiring earlier this month.

Kerr and Bright were some of the remaining players who were intergral during Hayes' years of dominance, with the likes of Erin Cuthbert and Lauren James among those still left.

In a season where Manchester City won the division for the first time in 10 years, Bompastor will hope this does not spark a new era of playing catch-up in the league.

After all, City have led the division since the eighth week of fixtures and, while Arsenal and Chelsea have traded places throughout the campaign, the Gunners retained an advantage for much of the campaign thanks to their games in hand.

For their part, Arsenal end the season trophyless bar the inaugural Champions Cup, which they won in January.

Like Chelsea, the summer also presents uncertainty for Renee Slegers' side, with Katie McCabe having played her final game for the club on Saturday and forward Beth Mead also leaving at the end of the season.

• Why Arsenal have fallen short in WSL and Champions League this season

  • Published2 days ago

• How do Chelsea rebuild for next season's WSL?

  • Published4 days ago

Club legends sign off in fitting style

Chelsea entered Saturday sitting two points behind Arsenal and ended it in the same place.

By half-time of the fixtures on the final day it became apparent they had little to play for given Arsenal were already three up at Liverpool, eventually winning 3-1, with Alessia Russo scoring twice.

At Stamford Bridge meanwhile, Kerr marked her final appearance with a fine finish for the game's only goal against Manchester United.

That goal was her 116th for the club, equaling Fran Kirby's record for the most goals for Chelsea in all competitions.

Kerr, who has been linked with a move to the United States, said it has been the "biggest honour" to play for Chelsea.

"I have so many amazing memories and I will carry them with me forever," she told Sky Sports. "Chelsea and London will always be home to me now.

"My little boy was born here and I have so many great friends at this amazing club. It's going to be hard to leave but I only have good things to say about this amazing club."

Arsenal have now got the better of Chelsea on two fronts this season, both knocking them out of the Champions League in the quarter-finals and preventing them reaching it automatically next year.

While being unable to catch City may leave a sour note for the Gunners, their league performance this season was better than last year as they picked up three more points across the campaign.

McCabe managed an assist in her last game for the club and expressed her joy at captaining the side for one last time before she departs.

"I was just enjoying every second of it," she said. "My team talk was to go out and enjoy it and play the Arsenal way, play our football, and we certainly did it. We were playing with smiles on our faces. I'm just delighted I could end with a win."

Both sides will rebuild in the summer, with Chelsea needing a striker to replace Kerr. They are favourites to sign Manchester City's out-of-contract Khadija Shaw.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will likely seek squad depth to help them cope more easily with a cramped fixture schedule next season.

They too have been heavily linked with some big signings, including Bayern Munich and England midfielder Georgia Stanway and Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle.

Listen to Ben Haines, Ellen White and Jen Beattie as they wrap up the 2025-26 season on the Women's Football Weekly podcast. New episodes drop every Tuesday on BBC Sounds, plus find interviews and extra content from the Women's Super League and beyond on the Women's Football Weekly feed

Related topics

• Football
• Women's Super League
• Women's Football

More on this story

• Get the latest WSL news on our dedicated page