Women's Super League

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Alisha Lehmann says returning to England "feels like coming home" after completing a move to Leicester City.

The 27-year-old Swiss international spent six years in the Women's Super League with West Ham, Everton and Aston Villa before switching to Italian giants Juventus in 2024.

After a short spell at FC Como, the striker is back in the UK and determined to fire the Foxes up the Women's Super League table.

"It feels amazing and I'm so happy to be here," Lehmann stated. "It feels like a homecoming.

"Leicester are an amazing club. They want to push women's football forward.

"What makes me happy in life is football. It's not about where I live or the climate I'm in, but playing because we have one career, and I want to make the most out of it."

Having spent time away from the UK, Lehmann hopes her experiences can benefit her new team-mates.

"In every country, football is so different," she said. "You meet new people and learn different things about football. I learned a lot and played with some great players.

"I hope I can bring my experience to the team but also learn a lot from them. I hope we can be successful, and enjoy the winning mentality.

"It's amazing to be the first women's Swiss player for the club - I'm going to have to bring some Swiss cheese and food in for my team-mates!"

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West Ham manager Rita Guarino has seen improvements in her players since taking over from Rehane Skinner just before Christmas.

After a 4-0 defeat by Chelsea in her first game, the Hammers were clinical against high-flying WSL 2 side Newcastle in the FA Cup last weekend, winning 3-0 to sail into the fifth round.

Guarino said that game encouraged her as she plots taking three vital points at Leicester City on Sunday.

"It was very important to have a reaction," she said. "You can do mistakes but it is very important to have the confidence to be better.

"[Against Newcastle] was a game where we improved a lot. It was important to win and score three goals. My learning has been about us and how to help our team do better step by step.

"Every point at this moment is important - but of course we go there to win."

Leicester away will be Guarino's third game on the road since her appointment - she said it has been valuable for getting to know her team.

"It has given us an opportunity to stay together," she explained. "It is very important to talk more and know more about their lives, not just football."

Fancy hearing from Arsenal duo Beth Mead and Kim Little, plus boss Renee Slegers on what makes their dressing room tick?

On a special episode of Women's Football Weekly, the team head to the Sobha Realty Training Centre to learn how the 'Arsenal Way' shapes tactics, how they communicate with each other and why training is "more serious" than it used to be.

Listen now on BBC Sounds

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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A study led by FifPro has found female footballers suffering from concussion on at least three occasions performed "significantly worse" in tasks requiring attention.

FifPro - the professional players' union - studied 68 players, who took part in online tests measuring memory, attention, reaction time and other mental abilities.

Of those studied, 43% had experienced at least one concussion during their careers and defenders (50%) were the most common players to sustain the injury.

Players who had suffered three concussions found it more difficult to perform on attentive tasks such as tracking the ball and opponents, maintaining positional awareness and reacting quickly during match play.

FifPro says further research will be needed before they can introduce new health guidelines for players.

If you would like to get closer to some of the WSL's biggest stars, we've got you covered.

In a brand new series, Alex Scott meets up with players to Eat & Yap.

First up is Arsenal's £1m forward Olivia Smith - and you can read the full discussion over here.

Alex Brotherton
BBC Sport journalist

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Brighton say there is "no time frame" on manager Dario Vidosic returning from a period of leave as he deals with a family matter in Australia.

Assistant head coach Chris Roberts, supported by first-team coach Arthur Brammer, oversaw the FA Cup fourth-round victory over Nottingham Forest on Sunday, and will remain in charge indefinitely.

"We miss him, he's our leader and of course we feel that," Roberts said before Friday's Women's Super League trip to Everton (19:00 GMT). "It was an emotional time at the end of last week, a challenge, but we have given him the best support we can.

"Ultimately, we have a really important job to do, important we bring our best. There is the human side, but we must be prepared."

When asked when Vidosic might return, Roberts said there is "not so much a time frame now," as the club continue to give "a lot of support and care for Dario".

"[We are] prepared and ready for every game - we will continue for the foreseeable as we are," he said. "I'm finding it OK, making sure nothing really changes in how we prepare or perform. We have a good group of staff. I'd much prefer to have Dario here but it's what we have."

On how Vidosic's absence affects Brighton's dealings in the transfer window, Roberts said: "Me and my staff make decisions on the playing model, but the head coach is still very much with us. We have a methodology, a style of play, which we are all part of."

"From a recruitment point of view, we have a strategy, not just on one person."

Separately, Roberts confirmed he has a largely fit squad for the trip to Merseyside, although midfielder Fran Kirby is doubtful with a slight injury.

He did however reaffirm what Vidosic said last week that Kirby will not be leaving this month amid reported interest from Juventus.

"Same as Dario said, Fran is our player and a top player," he said. "She is here to stay."

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West Ham forward Manuela Pavi has joined Mexican side Deportivo Toluca on a permanent basis.

The Colombia international, 25, signed a three-year deal with the Hammers in August 2024 from Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro after featuring at the Paris Olympics for her country.

In total, she made 34 appearances for West Ham, scoring four goals but had been on the fringes of the first team this season, featuring five times and all as a substitute.

So far in January, West Ham have signed Estelle Cascarino from Juventus, Ria Bose from Sporting and Rebekah Dowsett from Watford as new head coach Rita Guarino reshapes her squad.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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Delphine Cascarino's arrival at London City is big news given she brings a wealth of Champions League experience and international pedigree.

Last summer, the club spent fruitfully, bringing in 16 players in one transfer window as they tried to build a squad to compete in the WSL.

It was done at such a pace that this month needed a change in approach - to trim the squad and be more strategic in the way they recruited.

They have been searching for the best young players for the future, mixed with experienced stars with a history of winning that can improve the team now. Cascarino is an example of the latter.

She is well known to the Kynisca company running London City with her former club Lyon also under their ownership.

London City have been pursuing Cascarino for several months, initially in the summer, before deciding to wait until January when a clause in her San Diego contract allowed her to return to Europe on a free deal following a mutual termination of her contract in the United States.

Discussions with some players London City hope to sign in the summer are taking place but they may still add one or two in this window.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter

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England internationals Aggie Beever-Jones and Keira Walsh returned to full training with Chelsea on Monday morning after recovering from minor injuries.

The defending champions travel to Manchester City for their Women's League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday (19:00 GMT).

Sonia Bompastor says Beever-Jones is set to return to the squad on Wednesday but Walsh is likely to be back for Saturday's league game against Arsenal (12:30 GMT).

England defender Niamh Charles could return "in a few days", added Bompastor, while USA international Catarina Macario is unlikely to feature for a few weeks.

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Liverpool FC Women complete the signing of Aurelie Csillag from SC Freiburg, subject to international clearance.

The Switzerland international forward today put the finishing touches to her transfer at the AXA Melwood Training Centre.

Csillag, who turns 23 on January 24, told Liverpoolfc.com: "For me, the [Barclays Women's] Super League was always a dream.

"When I was a little child, I always wanted to play in the Super League. And then when I heard from Liverpool, it was a nice city, a nice club, a lot of tradition and history, I didn't have any doubts to join this winter.

"The training centre is amazing. I've never seen a training centre in a women's club like this. I was very, very surprised and very happy that I could see this and join this."

Csillag began her career with FC Blue Stars Zurich before moving to Grasshopper Club Zurich, where she broke into the first-team set-up in 2020.

A switch to FC Basel followed in February 2023, before Csillag joined Freiburg last summer.

She has won 12 senior international caps for Switzerland, scoring once, and arrives at Liverpool having made 14 appearances for Frauen-Bundesliga team Freiburg.

Csillag scored four times for Freiburg this season and netted her first international goal in a friendly against Wales last month.

"I'm looking forward to playing against the big clubs," she added. "For me, it's the best league in the world.

"It's a big chance for me to show what I can do on the pitch in this league."

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Everton midfielder and Danish international Karen Holmgaard has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and will be unavailable the foreseeable future.

Holmgaard picked up the injury during their FA Cup win against West Bromwich Albion last week.