Everton enter 2026-27 WSL with new manager, rebuilt attack and second season at Goodison Park

Everton begin the 2026-27 Women’s Super League campaign with a new manager and an overhauled forward line as they prepare for a second season of home fixtures at Goodison Park, according to a preview published on 28 August 2026.

Guardian writers' predicted position: 10th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garry’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips). Last season Everton finished eighth, a result the club would regard as satisfactory given their financial constraints; the club’s latest accounts showed a wage bill five times smaller than Chelsea’s. There has been targeted recruitment over the summer, including Jutta Rantala, Noémie Mouchon and Hannah Cain from relegated Leicester City, Zara Kramzar’s loan from Roma made permanent, and Hannah Blundell’s loan from Manchester United converted into a permanent deal after an unconventional reveal at the World Sevens Football event in London.

Scott Phelan was formally appointed in June after a four-month spell in interim charge, taking over from the sacked Brian Sørensen; the 38-year-old former Everton youth midfielder is undertaking his first senior managerial role after coaching within the club’s boys’ academy and has spoken of his “unbelievable pride” at being given this job.

Everton’s attack has been rebuilt around new signings and the arrival of Holly McNamara from Melbourne City. McNamara, 23, arrives on a free transfer having won back-to-back Golden Boot awards in the A-League; the club will hope that if she can replicate her goalscoring form in the northern hemisphere Everton will have a stronger season, and with McNamara alongside Cain and Mouchon the team have a completely new-look attack.

At the back, Everton have added Hannah Silcock from Liverpool, described as an England youth centre-back, and secured the loan of Naomi Layzell from Manchester City. Layzell, 22, is described as fit again after injury misfortune; she came to prominence with a goal against Barcelona in the Women’s Champions League two years ago and has previously been called up to train with Sarina Wiegman’s side.

Statistically Everton produced the third fewest shots last season but registered the third most Opta-defined fastbreaks (counterattacks) and scored the joint-most goals from them (four), a profile that the club’s coaching staff will be seeking to build on while addressing their regular-play attacking output. The squad trains at the Finch Farm complex in Halewood, which they share with the men, and the women’s side was sold to the men’s parent company, Roundhouse Capital Holdings, last year in a move that was understood to be largely aimed at helping ensure the men’s team’s compliance with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

Everton will start the league with a relatively gentle run, opening with back-to-back fixtures against newly promoted Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic and a second home league game against the other promoted side, Birmingham City; in addition they meet West Ham and Liverpool early on and do not face any of last season’s top three teams until November, a schedule that makes a fast start important ahead of a tougher run either side of the winter break.

“It’s been a tough pre-season in terms of the physical load and things like that, but that’s great preparation for the season. It’s just so important to get everyone on the same page early on. We want to do as well as we can in terms of getting results and being where we want to be in the table” – Everton goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan

Everton begin the WSL campaign with consecutive matches against Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic, with their second home league fixture scheduled against Birmingham City.