Aston Villa finished sixth after a season spent largely flirting with relegation, ending with an unbeaten five-game run and 16 goals, including five against Arsenal. Natalia Arroyo replaced Robert de Pauw in January and improved team confidence and coaching principles after safety was secured. The squad experienced turnover due to age, with departures including Jordan Nobbs, Danielle Turner and Rachel Corsie. Rachel Daly extended her contract and several internationals were retained, preserving a strong spine. Summer additions include Ellie Roebuck, Lynn Wilms, Oceane Deslandes, Lucia Kendall and the permanent signing of Jill Baijings. Pre-season results showed growing momentum.
Aston Villa will be aiming for a smoother Women's Super League season, having spent much of the 2024-25 campaign flirting with relegation. There were strong signs, however, that the club had put the problems of Robert de Pauw's tenure behind them with a comfortable sixth-place finish. An eye-catching final run saw them unbeaten in five games, scoring 16 in the process, including five against Arsenal.
The four months under De Pauw had proved an unmitigated disaster and left Natalia Arroyo with a mountain to climb when she joined the club in January. Once safety had been secured, the Spaniard's coaching principles started to shine and the team visibly grew in confidence. But with an ageing squad, there was always going to be some turnover and the departures of Jordan Nobbs, Danielle Turner and Rachel Corsie point to this fact.
Arroyo has injected youth into her squad over the summer with the signings of Ellie Roebuck (25), Lynn Wilms (24), Oceane Deslandes (25) and England Under-23 international Lucia Kendall, while bringing in Jill Baijings permanently from Bayern Munich was a notable coup. The Netherlands midfielder made a significant impact on loan last season, wearing the captain's armband in the absence of Daly on several occasions.
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