If Villa are to succeed, then the experience of their longer-serving players – including WSL mainstays such as defender Anna Patten, midfielder Missy Bo Kearns and star striker Rachel Daly – will have a major role to play.
“We have a lot of new players from different leagues, so I can integrate and drive them, show them what the standards are to be a top WSL team,” Kearns told BBC Sport.
“I have played a lot of football in the WSL and English football, it helps a lot. And as the league develops, we grow with the league and develop.”
Villa may not be WSL founder members but, entering their seventh year in the top flight, they are mainstays. Having played all their home league games at Villa Park since 2024, they have looked to position themselves as one of the league’s bigger sides.
Like their WSL mid-table rivals, their summer investment shows their desire to push towards the top four.
We should be careful not to conflate the expectations of a club’s men’s and women’s teams, but the men are in the Champions League this season and Villa’s women also have eyes on Europe.
“The top teams of course invest and sign players for a lot of money, but you also have mid-table teams pushing for those top spots,” goalkeeper Emily Ramsey – one of the eight summer signings, from Everton – tells BBC Sport.
“London City have invested a lot of money, they will expect to challenge. Spurs and Brighton showed they could do it at times last season. There is no longer so many expected outcomes, the top teams feel that which is why they are investing.
“For Aston Villa, there is nothing to be afraid of when it comes to trying to push up for those European spots.”
So is Champions League the aim?
“I don’t think that is out of reach. We want to play with the shackles off; we want to make Villa Park a hard place to come and play. If we play with confidence, I don’t see why we can’t reach those top spots.”
