WSL: Women's Super League Deadline Day explained

By Anton Toloui & Anne-Marie Batson

Image: Arsenal's pursuit Australia forward Caitlin Foorde could be the biggest story of WSL Deadline Day

Arsenal and Liverpool will be the headline makers as a busy WSL Transfer Window comes to an end.

Arsenal, fresh from their 4-1 home defeat to title rivals Chelsea at the weekend, are in talks to sign Australia forward Caitlin Foord.

Negotiations have been going on for most of the winter window and the 25-year old has already said goodbye to her Sydney FC team-mates.

Liverpool are the other club likely to try to business as they look to enhance their chances of staying in the WSL.

Vicky Jepson's side picked up their first league win of the season against fellow strugglers Bristol City and the club hopes to bring in one more player to bolster the squad after the loan signing of Rachel Furness in December.

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Deadline Day in the WSL is likely to be quieter than many football fans are used to seeing in the men's game mainly due to tighter budgets and better financial planning.

London Bees boss Rachel Yankey on her expectations for WSL Deadline Day

New FIFA research shows more than 86 per cent of international deals involve players that are out of contract and just £551,000 was spent on transfer fees between clubs around the world in 2019.

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Deals including a fee are less common in the women's game, players tend to move when out of contract and transfers are usually planned weeks, if not months, in advance so teams don't go over budget.

This has, however, been a busy window for some clubs. Everton have had arguably the best window by bringing in England midfielder Izzy Christiansen from Lyon, England U21 goalkeeper Sandy MacIver has joined from Clemson University in the USA and Australia forward Hayley Raso has also signed.

Raso and the potential signing of Foord aren't the biggest names from Australia to come in during the window. Sam Kerr, one of the most sought after forwards in world football, joined Chelsea at the end of December.

Bristol City have also been busy, signing three players in a day at the weekend. South Korea forward Jeon Ga-Eul, who has more than 100 international caps, joined to boost the team that's slipped to bottom of the WSL.

Megan Wynne also came in on loan from Tottenham, while Faye Bryson signed on a permanent deal from Everton.

Four teams are separated by three points at the bottom WSL, making any late business in this window vital in the fight to stay up.

How to follow the January transfer window with Sky Sports

Sky Sports will bring you the very latest news from the January transfer market with the return of three shows.

Start your day with Good Morning Transfers at 9am as our team of reporters bring you the latest news and insight. Transfer Talk then follows at midday delivering analysis of the biggest stories. Then join us at 7pm for the definitive round-up of the day's news with The Transfer Show.

Meanwhile, the Transfer Talk podcast will also be back at the turn of the year with more expert analysis from here and across the continent.

And as well as tuning into Sky Sports News, don't miss a thing with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.

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