
Liverpool Women's FC aim to improve on their 11th-place finish from last season after a strong summer transfer window and encouraging pre-season results, with new signings Vivien Endemann and Mao Itamura bolstering the squad under manager Gareth Taylor, who seeks to implement his style of play.
AI-generated summary
Liverpool Women's FC finished 11th in the 2025-26 Women's Super League season, a disappointing result that prompted renewed optimism due to summer signings and pre-season performance under manager Gareth Taylor.
Guardian writersâ predicted position: 8th (NB: this is not necessarily Tom Garryâs prediction but the average of our writersâ tips)
Last seasonâs position: 11th
Prospects
After a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, there is renewed positivity at Liverpool. A strong summer transfer window, coupled with encouraging results in pre-season, suggests they will significantly improve on their 11th-place finish, continuing the good run they had in the second half of last season.
Gareth Taylor did not take charge until quite late last summer and the squad needed something of a rebuild. This time around, the former Manchester City head coach has been able to spend a full pre-season with his team. The managing director, Andy OâBoyle, has also had three transfer windows since starting his job to try to evolve the squad. The arrival of Germany forward Vivien Endemann, from Wolfsburg, is a very promising signing, while goalkeeper Khiara Keating has been reunited with Taylor, albeit she is not as experienced as Swedenâs Jennifer Falk. Falk was tremendous during a loan spell with Liverpool in the second half of last season, but opted not to make her stay permanent because she wanted to be closer to family.
There were other notable losses, including the centre-back Gemma Bonner. Nonetheless, Liverpool appear to have a squad that is more than capable of staying up although they still look a long way off challenging for Europe and their budget is dwarfed by the big spenders.
It took Liverpool until late January to record their first league win last season and this time around they will want to make an immediate impact. It should help that they begin away to promoted Charlton.
Off-field picture
The womenâs team have never really benefited from the type of cash injections from their owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester Cityâs womenâs sides have from theirs. Liverpool have recorded an overall profit of more than ÂŁ500,000 when the past eight seasons are combined and consistently break even. They also boast top-class facilities at their Melwood training base..
The manager
Taylor will want to see the team look more accustomed to his style of play. The 53-year-old has yet to win over the fanbase, but he does have a strong CV, winning the Womenâs FA Cup and the League Cup with Manchester City in 2020 and 2022 respectively, and very nearly a league title, too. A former Wales international striker, Taylor represented a broad range of clubs, from Bristol Rovers to Nottingham Forest and Wrexham, with spells at Sheffield United and Manchester City in between.
Star signing
Liverpool were delighted that Endemann decided to make the switch from Wolfsburg. The 25-year-old had a good record in the Bundesliga, as well as 17 caps for Germany, whom she helped finish third at the 2024 Olympics. Endemann won a German Cup with Wolfsburg in 2024 and has Womenâs Champions League experience, too.
Stat attack
Liverpool improved after a very slow start to the last campaign. They earned 11 points more in the second half of the season than in the first, the widest margin of improvement in the Womenâs Super League. Doubling their tally from the second batch of 11 games would have given them 28 points, enough for sixth.
Set for a breakthrough
The 20-year-old Japan youth international Mao Itamura has been signed from Feyenoord. She was named as the Eredivisie player of the year last season and is a versatile forward with great dribbling skills. She should add a fresh and exciting dimension to Liverpoolâs attack.
What they say
âWe want to be in the first half of the table because we have really good players and I think we can show what we are capable of. I believe in every single person in this team. We have good chances to have a great season. And we all have this good feeling; I can feel it in the trainingâ â Liverpool and Switzerland forward AurĂ©lie Csillag
Where are they playing their home games?
Liverpool play the vast majority of their home matches at St Helens Stadium, which they share with the rugby league side. It has a modern feel and a capacity of about 18,000. They have announced they will be playing three times at Anfield this season; the first of those games being a derby against Everton in September.
AI outlook â possibilities, not facts
Liverpool Women's FC will finish in 8th place in the Women's Super League this season
Possible · Within months

Filip Hrgovic stopped Moses Itauma in the ninth round to win the IBF heavyweight title, becoming Croatia's first world heavyweight champion after Itauma's stamina faded despite early dominance.

Novak Djokovic and Elena Rybakina discussed their preparations for the US Open, with Djokovic citing his Cincinnati loss as beneficial for training and Rybakina focusing on recovery from a foot injury while aiming for the world No 1 ranking.

Everton manager David Moyes stated that the potential sale of 19-year-old midfielder Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest for a reported £40m would be a club decision, following Armstrong's full 90-minute appearance in a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Moyes expressed preference to keep the player amid fan opposition, while also confirming Nottingham Forest's agreed £22m deal for Crystal Palace defender Daniel Muñoz.

South Africa defeated New Zealand in the second Test of the series after a tactical front-row swap by coach Rassie Erasmus, with the Springboks showing ferocious intensity and direct play to edge ahead despite a gutsy All Blacks comeback. The match featured key contributions from Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cheslin Kolbe, and Malcolm Marx, while the third Test is scheduled for Johannesburg but may be relocated to Manila.

After Everton's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, manager David Moyes stated that the potential sale of 19-year-old midfielder Harrison Armstrong to Nottingham Forest for a reported £40m would be a club decision, despite his preference to retain the player. Everton fans warned of a 'riot' if Armstrong is sold, while Moyes acknowledged supporter sentiment but noted that managers sometimes must make unpopular decisions for broader reasons. The article also notes that Nottingham Forest agreed a £22m deal for Crystal Palace defender Daniel Muñoz.

Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-0 to Newcastle United in their Premier League home opener despite significant summer spending, as new signings Sandro Tonali, Omar Marmoush and others failed to impact, while Newcastle's Anthony Elanga and Yoanne Wissa scored second-half goals to secure a heartening win for Matthias Jaissle's side.