WSL predictions 2024-25: Can anyone stop Chelsea?

The Women's Super League returns this play and Chelsea are aiming to triumph a sixth rubric successful a enactment - but tin anyone halt them?

New manager Sonia Bompastor is hoping to prime up her archetypal WSL rubric but Manchester City, who mislaid retired connected extremity quality past season, volition privation revenge.

With Crystal Palace joining the apical formation and others spending large wealth successful the summertime transportation window, it promises to beryllium different rollercoaster campaign.

Some of BBC Sport's pundits person predicted their apical 3 for the 2024-25 campaign, on with who they deliberation volition beryllium relegated, portion Emma Sanders tries to foretell wherever each squad volition decorativeness this season.

Gareth Taylor's broadside missed retired connected the rubric past play due to the fact that they scored 7 goals less than Chelsea.

They responded by making immoderate beardown additions successful the summertime transportation window.

Vivianne Miedema and Aoba Fujino springiness them much extent successful onslaught and nine grounds signing Jill Roord is acceptable to instrumentality from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

They person got amended successful the past 18 months and I deliberation their consistency, with added depth, volition yet instrumentality them implicit the enactment this time.

Last season: 2nd

Chelsea person won 5 titles successful a enactment for a crushed - they person world-class players. That has not changed and they volition inactive beryllium close up there.

Former Lyon manager Bompastor has a way grounds of winning trophies, but person rivals City managed to drawback them up?

The French pistillate volition person to settee rapidly and, though they person signed immoderate bully players successful the transportation window, City's consistency mightiness marque the difference.

Last season: Champions

Arsenal request to drawback up connected the apical 2 and they person made possibly the champion signing of the summertime successful Barcelona guardant Mariona Caldentey.

It could instrumentality them closer, but portion the Gunners person strengthened, truthful person Chelsea and Manchester City.

Manager Jonas Eidevall is heading into his 4th play successful complaint and they person not progressed arsenic overmuch arsenic hoped.

I deliberation they volition autumn abbreviated again.

Last season: 3rd

It's been a turbulent summertime for United, who faced backlash for switching their women's team's grooming facilities.

They person mislaid respective cardinal players including past season's apical scorer Nikita Parris, their fig 1 goalkeeper Mary Earps and skipper Katie Zelem.

But they person besides recruited well.

Elisabeth Terland, Celin Bizet and Dominique Janssen are peculiarly beardown signings and, I think, volition assistance them ascent backmost to 4th successful the table.

Last season: 5th

Villa were 1 of the biggest spenders successful the summer, backing caller manager Robert de Pauw and emphasising their ambitions to interruption into the apical four.

Club grounds signing and Brazil guardant Gabi Nunes is an breathtaking summation - and they person had a bully pre-season campaign, going unbeaten.

They look stiff contention from the clubs astir them but I deliberation they tin beryllium the 'best of the rest'. I don't spot them breaking into the apical four, though.

Last season: 7th

Matt Beard's broadside exceeded expectations past season, signaling immense wins implicit the apical clubs and pipping United to 4th place.

They volition stay pugnacious to bushed and Beard is simply a shrewd manager, who knows however to get results.

But aft making large strides, they had a quiescent summertime successful the transportation window. Their consistency volition assistance but others mightiness person overtaken them.

Last season: 4th

Another nine who showed large ambition successful the transportation window. Like Villa, Brighton were consenting to walk and reaped the benefits.

England's Fran Kirby and Jelena Cankovic were bully additions, portion Parris' accomplishment connected transportation deadline time was a existent coup.

They person mislaid past season's apical scorer Terland but those attacking additions volition assistance capable that void.

The main happening holding them backmost is perpetually having to woody with change. Once again, determination was a precocious turnover of players and a caller manager hired.

I expect them to amended but they request time.

Last season: 9th

Spurs had a large archetypal play nether manager Robert Vilahamn but were acold excessively susceptible successful immoderate matches.

They showed tons of imaginable but 2 cardinal players are not with them anymore - Bizet and on-loan midfielder Grace Clinton.

They tried to regenerate them successful the transportation model but person they strengthened capable elsewhere?

I'm not convinced. Other clubs astir them person much depth.

Last season: 6th

By each accounts, Leicester City person looked precise awesome successful pre-season truthful possibly this prediction is excessively low.

But having not finished supra 10th successful the WSL, I haven't made immoderate chaotic assumptions.

New French manager Amandine Miquel is allowing them to play free-flowing shot truthful they volition beryllium unsafe - but their squad is inactive young and mightiness request much clip to fulfil their potential.

Last season: 10th

It could beryllium different tricky play for Everton, who person been cash-strapped for respective windows and are struggling to support up with others.

Last play they faced an wounded situation and did remarkably good truthful you tin ne'er constitute them off.

I don't deliberation they person to interest astir relegation but the spot successful extent astatine different clubs mightiness beryllium excessively much.

Last season: 8th

As Bristol City showed past season, the leap from the Women's Championship to the WSL is inactive huge.

Crystal Palace volition apt conflict but they had a engaged transportation model which gives them immoderate hope.

American striker Katie Stengel performed good astatine Liverpool and defender Katrine Veje has brought acquisition from Everton.

Their transportation concern could beryllium capable to assistance them decorativeness supra West Ham.

Last season: Women's Championship winners

It's been a unsmooth fewer years for West Ham and they person stayed successful the WSL by the tegument of their teeth.

This could yet beryllium the play they succumb to relegation aft different hard transportation window.

Several cardinal players near including captains Mackenzie Arnold and Hawa Cissoko, arsenic good arsenic Japan internationals Honoka Hayashi and Risa Shimizu.

It's going to beryllium a agelong run for them.

Last season: 11th