Chelsea, Arsenal, the Orlando Pride and the London City Lionesses have all broken the world record in 2025 alone, as spending in the women's game grows
As women's football continues to grow worldwide, the sport's transfer record does too. In fact, in 2025 alone, the world-record fee has been broken no fewer than four times. It means that the money Chelsea parted with back in the summer of 2020 to sign Pernille Harder for the greatest fee in the history of the women's game is now some way down the list of the most expensive transfers, not even inside the top 25.
Keira Walsh took Harder's place and moved to the top of that list in the summer of 2022, but her transfer from Manchester City to Barcelona is not even in the top 10 anymore, with the England midfielder herself actually part of a more expensive deal in January 2025, when she moved back to England to join Chelsea.
So, what are the most lucrative transfers in the history of women's football? GOAL breaks down the most expensive deals the sport has seen to date…
Getty Images
15Kika Nazareth (Benfica to Barcelona)
Another huge signing Barcelona made in the summer of 2024, Kika had become arguably the best player in Portugal before moving to Catalunya. Debuting for Benfica at 16 years old, she was 21 when Barca came in and paid just under €500,000 (£424,000/$538,000) to sign her. The young forward is continuing her exciting development nicely with the reigning European champions.
Advertisement
Getty Images
14Mayra Ramirez (Levante to Chelsea)
When Chelsea got the news that star striker Sam Kerr had suffered a cruel ACL injury in the first few days of 2024, they made a statement by making a big move in the January transfer window that would help make up for her absence. For a fee of €450,000 (£384,000/$486,000), the Blues signed Mayra Ramirez from Levante, after her impressive return of 22 goals in 38 games for the Spanish side.
Ramirez's arrival became all the more important when Mia Fishel, signed as a back-up to Kerr, went down with the same injury shortly after the transfer window closed. Indeed, on the final day of the WSL's 2023-24 season, it was the January arrival who put in a title-winning performance as Chelsea beat Man Utd to retain their league title.
Getty Images
13Priscila (Internacional to Club America)
The only transfer on this list which includes a non-American or European club as the buyer, Priscila completed a move from Brazilian club Internacional to Mexican side Club America in 2024 for a fee of $497,000 (£378,000). While the transfer fee converts to a smaller one than Ramirez's in some currencies, it was ranked as a more expensive move than the Chelsea striker's in FIFA's global transfer report for 2024.
Priscila had only just celebrated her 20th birthday when the transfer went through but she is handling the pressure that comes with such a high-profile move well and scoring prolifically for America.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
12Lily Yohannes (Ajax to Lyon)
It was no surprise when Lily Yohannes completed a transfer that landed her a spot on this list. The teenage midfielder exploded onto the Champions League scene in the 2023-24 season, starring for Ajax as they reached an historic quarter-final, and that helped put her back on the United States' radar, after she had seen limited action in the youth national teams. Indeed, a senior debut wasn't too far away, with the question suddenly when, rather than if, she would get a big move away from Ajax.
That came in the summer of 2025 when, despite heavy links to Chelsea, Yohannes joined eight-time European champions Lyon in a deal worth €450,000 (£390,000 / $525,000). She was only 18 years old when the deal went through.
انتقد هاني رمزي مدرب منتخب مصر الأسبق، الأداء الذي ظهر به الأهلي خلال مباراة الفريق الأخيرة أمام غزل المحلة والتي انتهت بالتعادل السلبي ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري.
وقال هاني رمزي في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة النهار: “الأهلي قدم مباراة سيئة، فلا ينبغي أن يغرينا الاستحواذ، ولماذا رحل كريم الدبيس الأساسي، رغم وجود مشاكل في مركز الظهير الأيسر؟، ثم تم الاعتماد على كريم فؤاد العائد من إصابة الرباط الصليبي”.
وأردف: “لا توجد أفكار واضحة لدى المدير الفني، ولا توجد جملة تكتيكية محددة تكررت أكثر من مرة، وأحمل المسؤولية الأكبر لـ ريبيرو، مع وجود مسؤولية على اللاعبين أيضًا”.
وتابع: “يبدو أن حسين الشحات محبط، ولا يظهر رغبة قوية أو يحاول القيام بكل شيء بمفرده، وديانج كان أفضل لاعب في الأهلي اليوم، لكن هناك أخطاء واضحة على المستوى التكتيكي”.
طالع | عامر عامر يوجه رسالة لـ محمد الشناوي.. ويصرح: تعادل المحلة أمام الأهلي أمر جيد
واستطرد: “إمكانيات لاعبي الأهلي تتطلب مديرًا فنيًا قادرًا على إخراج أفضل ما لدى كل لاعب، ويجب على محمد يوسف عقد جلسة مع كل لاعب”.
وأتم: “ريبيرو خاض 6 مباريات، فاز في واحدة فقط، وهذا أمر مقلق، إذا استمر الوضع على نفس المنوال لمباراتين إضافيتين، يجب اتخاذ قرار، لا نريد تكرار الأخطاء ذاتها، خاصة مع تزايد الضغوط في الفترة المقبلة”.
“I don’t think it would be fair when some teams have played a lot of Tests in the last four years and other teams have not played Test cricket in the last 15 years”
S Sudarshanan12-Dec-2023Women’s cricket is growing rapidly in white-ball formats but the equivalent of the World Test Championship is far from reality. Ahead of the one-off Test between India and England, the idea of a WTC for women excited India’s vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, but England opener Tammy Beaumont said the time for it was not quite right yet.The men’s WTC is in its third iteration with nine teams part of it. But the ICC has primarily used T20s as the driving force for the women’s game. Last year, ICC chair Greg Barclay, in an interview with the BBC, said “there is no doubt that white-ball cricket is way of the future” and brushed aside women’s Test cricket “evolving at any particular speed”.Related
Women's red-ball cricket to return to India's domestic calendar
India ready for rare home Test in England's special 100th
England Women's grand welcome to Mumbai
New faces give timely boost to India's T20 World Cup prep
ICC chair's comments on women's Tests 'disappointing' – Lisa Keightley
Since 2017, there have been only six women’s Test played – three of which were outside of the Women’s Ashes. India have played two Tests since 2021 while South Africa played one last year.Mandhana, who is India’s most experienced current player with four Tests, expressed delight at the idea of a WTC for women.”I would love to be part of a World Test Championship,” she said ahead of India’s training at DY Patil Stadium on Tuesday. “But that is for the boards and the ICC to decide. Having watched a lot of men’s Test cricket and men’s Test Championships, that would be an exciting thing to be a part of.”But Beaumont, who has played eight Tests, felt different and said there need to be more teams playing women’s red-ball cricket for that to happen.”At the moment it is only three or four nations playing Test match cricket regularly, and potentially only three or four governing bodies who can afford to host women’s Test cricket,” Beaumont, who scored the first double-century in women’s Tests for England earlier this year, said.”It would have to be a very big investment from the ICC that I don’t think they are probably willing to put in to. They’re still trying to develop the T20 game across the globe, the way you’ve seen Thailand and other teams coming into T20 cricket, that should be focus.”Currently, only the women’s Ashes takes place in the form of multi-format series, where a win in Tests is worth four points, and a win in each of the white-ball game is worth two points. A drawn Test gives both the teams two points and an overall series winner is decided after all the matches are completed. This format reduces the possibility of dead-rubbers since each match has points at stake. Beaumont called for more such multi-format bilateral series for teams to adapt to Test cricket.Beaumont wants to see more multi-format series like the women’s Ashes•Getty Images”I would love to see more nations do the multi-format series like the Ashes – say India come over and we do Test match, ODIs and T20s and an overall winner from that and do the same with South Africa, New Zealand all those and build it from there,” she said.”One day I would like to see a WTC but at the moment, I don’t think it would be fair when, say India, Australia and England have played a lot of Tests in the last four years and other teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand have not played Test cricket in the last 15 years. The imbalance is still there and we need to build it from the ground up a little bit longer and definitely have many Tests.”Beaumont; We haven’t mastered Tests because of lack of opportunitiesGiven the rarity of Tests – and the pressure on players to put on a good show in order to get more matches – Beaumont admitted that there are nerves whenever a Test arrives.”As a group of players, you do feel a bit more anxious around a Test match week just because it is a bit novel. The likes of myself, Heather Knight, Nat Sciver-Brunt we have been playing international cricket for 12-13 years but haven’t played that many Tests. If you think of that in terms of white-ball cricket, that’s your first year. So there’s more nerves because we haven’t mastered it because we haven’t had the opportunity to master it.”You look at someone like Danni Wyatt – she made her debut at Trent Bridge at 32. You are constantly a young player at Test cricket, no matter how old your body feels. In the men’s game, 10 Tests is not even a career; that’s just a start.”
“If people are getting free tickets to watch a Test match, I don’t mind that at all. I’d rather that than a pretty empty stadium of 40,000 to be honest”
The home crowd going quiet makes you feel alive, says BeaumontThe tickets for the India-England matches are free of cost, and that saw the Wankhede Stadium filled for the last two T20Is over the weekend. While women’s matches in England have a minimum price attached, the BCCI has kept women’s cricket largely free of cost for spectators – be it the WPL or the ongoing series against England. The entry for home T20Is against Australia last year was free for women while men had to purchase an INR 100 ticket. All the matches saw huge turnouts.Beaumont was unfussed on having a price on the ticket and welcomed the idea of more people watching the women in action.”Having the Wankhede pretty much full was an incredible atmosphere,” Beaumont, who was in Mumbai with the white-ball squad even though she was only in the Test squad, said. “If it had to be free tickets for people to come in, I think it was worth it.”From the grapevine you hear, what’s driving the kind of women’s cricket is broadcast deals. The big one for the series is it is on TV in India and England and the broadcast deals are being sold. Tickets sales are only a percentage of that even in England.”For me as a player, having lots of people watching and creating that atmosphere – I say here it’s going to be against us the entire time. But if we have a good session and the crowd goes quiet, I think for me as a player, that’s what makes you feel alive. If that means they are getting free tickets to watch a Test match, I don’t mind that at all. I’d rather that than a pretty empty stadium of 40,000 to be honest.”
انضم نادي إنجليزي جديد إلى قائمة الأندية الراغبة في التعاقد مع جناح ريال مدريد رودريجو، في ظل الغموض الذي يحيط بمستقبل اللاعب داخل “سانتياجو برنابيو” هذا الصيف.
ويحظى الدولي البرازيلي باهتمام عدد من كبار الأندية الأوروبية، وسط توقعات بتراجع دوره في الموسم المقبل تحت قيادة المدرب المنتظر تشابي ألونسو.
وارتبط رودريجو بالفعل بالرحيل عن ريال مدريد مع اهتمام أندية إنجليزية مثل ليفربول وآرسنال بالتعاقد معه خلال انتقالات الصيف الحالية.
ووفقًا لصحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، بدأ نادي توتنهام خطوات فعلية في مفاوضاته، وطلب إذنًا من ريال مدريد للتحدث مع اللاعب، على أمل إقناعه بمشروع النادي تحت قيادة مدربه الجديد توماس فرانك.
اقرأ أيضًا | ثورة تحكيمية.. الاتحاد الإسباني يطبق نظام “VAR” جديد في موسم 2025-2026
ورغم إنفاق توتنهام ما يقرب من 150 مليون يورو هذا الصيف على صفقات بارزة، فإن الإدارة ترى في رودريجو عنصرًا مميزًا لتعزيز الجانب الهجومي.
ولكن العقبة الأساسية تبقى في المطالب المالية، إذ يتمسك ريال مدريد بالحصول على 90 مليون يورو للتخلي عن رودريجو.
ويأتي ذلك في الوقت الذي لا يرغب النادي الإنجليزي في دفع هذا المبلغ كاملًا إلى جانب راتبه السنوي الذي يقدّر بـ10 ملايين يورو، مما يجعل التفاوض مع رودريجو لتخفيض راتبه أمرًا حاسمًا لحسم الصفقة.
Fenerbahce have reportedly ramped up their efforts to land Manchester City’s veteran right-back Kyle Walker, making a significantly improved financial proposal to lure the England international to Istanbul. The Super Lig runners-up are preparing for life after Bright Osayi-Samuel, whose contract concludes at the end of June. With his likely departure, the Istanbul-based club is eager to secure a high-profile replacement, and Walker is at the top of their shortlist.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Walker not in Man City's plans
Fenerbahce keen to snap up the defender
Have submitted a revised offer to the player
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
According to reports from Turkish outlet, Fenerbahce have offered Walker an upgraded deal that includes a lucrative annual wage. While discussions with Manchester City over a potential transfer appear to be smooth, with no substantial hurdles expected in terms of a transfer fee, the final decision remains in Walker’s hands.
Advertisement
Getty Images
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Walker spent the latter half of last season on loan at AC Milan after temporarily departing City during the January transfer window. At the time, the England right-back was hopeful of making the move to Italy permanent. However, the Rossoneri did not trigger the buy clause, and Fenerbahce are moving aggressively to capitalise on that opportunity.
TELL ME MORE
Adding another twist to the transfer saga is reported interest from Everton. The Toffees, managed by David Moyes, are also in the market for a new right-back and view Walker as a suitable candidate to add experience and stability to their backline.
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
DID YOU KNOW?
With only one year remaining on his current contract at the Etihad Stadium, Walker now has several options to weigh. However, Fenerbahce are believed to have communicated their desire for a swift response, as they look to have the defender in Istanbul before pre-season preparations intensify.
The left-arm fast bowler will be reunited with India and Saurashtra team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2023
Jaydev Unadkat will look to add to his first-class career in the County Championship•PTI
Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat is set for his first stint in the County Championship after signing with Sussex, where he will join his India and Saurashtra team-mate Cheteshwar Pujara.Unadkat is set to be available for at least three of Sussex’s remaining four matches, starting with the game against Durham on September 3. He could, however, miss the team’s final match, if he returns to lead Saurashtra in the Irani Cup, which starts on October 1.”I have been following the team’s recent run of success and I had a nice conversation with Paul [Farbrace, Sussex head coach] and it looks like I can definitely add value and contribute towards the team’s goals,” Unadkat said in a statement. “The English County Championship has a wonderful legacy, and I was keen to grab the opportunity whenever I can and it seems to be the right time for me at this point in my career.”I hope to add to the laurels that my dear friend and team-mate, Cheteshwar, has been adding aplenty while representing Sussex for the last couple of seasons, and more importantly helping the team win games.”Unadkat recently turned out for India in their two Tests against West Indies, but went wicketless. He did however pick up a wicket in the only ODI he played on the tour.Unadkat, 31, has played 103 first-class matches, including four Tests. He has picked up 382 first-class wickets at an average of 22.58 and an economy of 2.94.He captained Saurashtra to their maiden Ranji Trophy title in 2020, taking 67 wickets in that campaign, which is the most by a fast bowler in a single season.He then led them to a second title this year, claiming the Player-of-the-Match trophy in the final against Bengal.”We are delighted that Jaydev will join us for the September championship period, he is a quality bowler and a great guy to have join our squad at an exciting time of the season,” Sussex head coach Farbrace said. “His record is outstanding, and we will be looking for Jaydev to share his experience with our developing team.”
Khawaja reveals approaching ICC to raise players’ concern about the level of punishments
Andrew McGlashan17-Jul-2023
Khawaja: ‘I appreciate the ICC actually listening to players. It’s the first time I have had that with the ICC’•Getty Images
Usman Khawaja has played a key role in ensuring players are not hit as hard in the pocket and potentially saved teams from World Test Championship (WTC) points deductions after he revealed he raised the issue of slow over-rate punishments with the ICC.After their recent AGM in Durban, the ICC announced amendments to their sanctions for slow over-rates: players will now be fined 5% of their match fee for each over a team is down (previously it was 20%) with the level capped at 50%, reduced from the previous upper limit of their entire match fee.Alongside the changes to the fines element, over-rate penalties will not kick in if a team is bowled out inside 80 overs instead of the earlier mark of 60 overs giving sides more leeway before WTC points are deducted – an element the ICC believed it was important to retain.Khawaja explained he had directly approached Wasim Khan, the ICC’s general manager cricket, having got to know him through his time at the PSL, to raise players’ concerns about the level of punishments using the example of the entertaining and results-driven cricket being produced in the ongoing Ashes.Related
ICC 'looking at in-game penalties for Tests' in the next WTC cycle
The new rulings will be backdated to the start of the current WTC cycle which began with the Ashes. Players from both teams were fined 40% of their match fee at Edgbaston and docked two WTC points apiece, while heavier sanctions were on the line for the Lord’s Test.Australia were also fined 80% (four overs behind) of their match fee in the WTC final while India were docked 100% (five overs behind) but there were no points deductions at stake in that game.”I was pretty frustrated with what was happening,” Khawaja said at Old Trafford ahead of the fourth Ashes Test. “I just thought someone has to find a way to speak to the ICC about it. We had played three games and they’d been three really good games with results, [providing] entertainment and we were getting fined 80% of our match fee. It’s a lot of money.”[It’s] just really frustrating as a player, you are giving it your all out there, providing entertainment, then you are getting stung for it.”Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald also became involved while at ICC level, the reduced punishments were quickly pushed through during the Durban meeting, although there remained areas of compromise with Khawaja saying he hoped it would have been 2.5% of the match fee for every over behind and even more leeway given if a positive result is achieved.”Wasim was really good,” he said. “We talked [and] he took the feedback. To his credit, it wasn’t just listening and no action. Actions happened within one or two weeks. We are trying to go as fast as we can. It’s the conditions that make it hard for us. If you are in India, we are never behind the over-rate [with] two spinners going at it. We were getting results, that’s what was frustrating. Think England were frustrated with it, too.”I appreciate the ICC actually listening to players. It’s the first time I have had that with the ICC. Think it’s a really good step forward.”Australia, WTC 2023 champions, missed out on qualifying for the final in 2021 due to over-rate penalty•Getty Images
While the ICC has yet to confirm the new levels of fines and points deductions for the early Ashes Tests, Australia could benefit from the new regulations as they bowled out England within 80 overs in their second innings at Edgbaston.At Lord’s, the over-rates were again significantly down with both sides facing losing their entire match fees and a significant number of points. Now, however, it’s understood Australia stand to lose two WTC points (alongside a 10% fine) as only England’s second innings extended beyond 80 overs, which may yet be significant as the 2020-21 cycle showed when Australia narrowly missed the final but is far less severe than it might have been. England, though, still face much heavier punishment as Australia’s innings both exceeded 80 overs, although the financial element will be reduced under the new system.An Australian player receives AUD$18,000 per Test match, so for those involved at Lord’s, if the fine was reduced from 100% of the match fee to 10%, they would benefit to the tune of more than $16,000 each.”I’m still pushing for, if you get a result in the game before tea on the last day, you shouldn’t get a fine,” Khawaja added. “You’ve got you what you wanted. It’s cricket. You’ve got laws and rules. They’ve been there for a very long time. Sometimes you just have to look back on them and to see if you need an update a little bit.”Sourav Ganguly, who is the chair of the Men’s Cricket Committee and sits on the ICC’s chief executive committee, said: “The Men’s Cricket Committee felt strongly that over-rate penalties in the form of WTC points deductions should remain but recommended that players should not have 100% of their match fee at risk. We believe this provides a balance between maintaining over-rates and ensuring we are not deterring players from playing Test cricket.”
“Hopefully he doesn’t give too many secrets away to the Aussies,” Stuart Broad jokes
Matt Roller06-Jun-2023Australia hope to become the first team since England in 2010-11 to win an away Ashes series this summer, and have ramped up their attempts to do so by adding Andy Flower – the mastermind of that success – to their backroom staff.Flower, a three-time Ashes-winning coach with England, has joined the Australia squad on a consultancy basis ahead of this week’s World Test Championship final at The Oval.He is not expected to be involved in the build-up to the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston on June 16, but ESPNcricinfo understands that he will return to the set-up during the latter stages of the Ashes – most likely before the third Test at Headingley starts from July 6.”It’s great to see Andy sharing his experiences of Test match cricket and playing in England,” Stuart Broad, the England seamer, told ESPNcricinfo. “He was a fantastic coach for England for many years and someone who taught me a huge amount about the game in his years as head coach.”I was very lucky to win Ashes series under him and become the best team in the world under him… I owe a lot of the traits I have as a cricketer to Andy Flower. Hopefully he doesn’t give too many secrets away to the Aussies…”Broad: Flower was “a fantastic coach for England for many years”•PA Images via Getty Images
Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, said that Australia were “lucky to have someone as experienced as Andy” in their camp heading into a busy two-month period in the UK, which will see them play six Tests in eight weeks.”[He brings] experience over here, first of all,” Cummins said, “and knows these conditions really well. Hopefully he knows the opposition, so if he can give us one little bit of insight into playing in England that we haven’t thought about then it’s worth it.”I think Andrew [McDonald] has worked with him quite a bit, and you’ve seen us over the years bring in different people at different times. We’re pretty lucky to have someone as experienced as Andy.”Related
Flower power fuels Rockets success
Pat Cummins happy to be 'underdone than overdone'
Travis Head could play decisive hand for Australia in England
Flower coached England from 2009-14, a stint which included four Ashes series. He emerged victorious in his first three of those – in 2009, 2010-11 and 2013 – before stepping down after his side was whitewashed in Australia in 2013-14.He spent the following five years working in the ECB’s pathways, overseeing the England Lions set-up, and has since launched a successful career as a head coach in various franchise leagues around the world.That has included the Hundred, where Flower coached Trent Rockets to the title last summer. Intriguingly, since teams in the Hundred are run centrally rather than by private investors, Flower’s Rockets contract means he is still on the ECB’s payroll.
The club cited a number of reasons for the change, including not being able to execute team's desired style of play
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Mellberg fired as manager after just three months
St. Louis struggled to score with the Swede at the helm
Critchley to take over on interim basis
Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games now
WHAT HAPPENED?
St. Louis CITY SC dismissed Olof Mellberg just 15 league games into his tenure, the club announced Tuesday. The decision comes after St. Louis lost 1-0 to the Colorado Rapids Saturday – the eighth scoreless game for the team under the 47-year-old Swedish manager.
The club turned to CITY2 head coach David Critchley to lead the squad on an interim basis while it searches for a new manager.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
WHAT LUTZ PFANNENSTIEL SAID
“The decision to part ways with Olof goes beyond just results," CITY SC sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel said in a statement. “We’ve analyzed the team’s performance across a number of factors, including the need to execute against a style of play that led to the team’s initial success and has been part of our DNA for four years.
"As a club, we have certain standards we need to meet and believe a coaching change was necessary to improve our overall performance and return to a winning culture. Our fans deserve a better performing team, and we intend to give them one."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Scoring has been an issue for St. Louis. The team has scored just 11 goals in 15 league game, putting Mellberg's position under threat.
While the team's defense improved, going from allowing 1.85 goals per game last year (fourth-worst in the West) to 1.33 this season (eighth), the team regressed dramatically on the other end. The team generated just five assists all season – worst in MLS – and was mid-table in shots and shots on target.
“We understood it would take time for Olof to become acclimated to Major League Soccer and certainly acknowledge injuries made his job difficult, but we simply could not continue down this path,” St. Louis CITY SC president and GM Diego Gigliani said in a statement. “We are disappointed that we were not able to find success under Olof. He moved over here from Sweden and worked tirelessly on behalf of the club during his tenure. We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
DID YOU KNOW?
While Mellberg only lasted three months, he isn't the shortest-tenured manager in MLS history. That distinction goes to Alfonso Mondelo, who made it only three games with the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 2001 – losing the support of players and ownership in that span.
The second-shortest coaching tenure was Charlotte's Miguel Ángel Ramírez, the club's inaugural manager, who lasted just 14 matches – winning just five games. Similar to Mondelo, a combination of on- and off-the-pitch factors played into his firing.
Sunderland are desperate to restore their former glories by earning promotion to the Premier League, which could offer a platform for Regis Le Bris to make savvy additions during the transfer window.
Sunderland's inconsistent form likely to deny automatic promotion
Despite a storming start to the campaign, Sunderland have become one of the Championship’s more erratic sides. They now sit eight points behind Sheffield United in the hunt for automatic promotion.
Pulling back that margin inside 11 matches isn’t impossible, but Regis Le Bris will be mentally prepared for the agony and ecstasy the playoffs have to offer should they fail to catch the Blades.
Sunderland’s next five Championship fixtures
Cardiff City (H)
Stadium of Light
Preston North End (H)
Stadium of Light
Coventry City (A)
Coventry Building Society Arena
Millwall (H)
Stadium of Light
West Bromwich Albion (A)
The Hawthorns
The Black Cats lost out in the same format to Luton Town at the semi-final stage in 2022/23. Old wounds can provide unwanted flashbacks, but they can also serve as motivation to right the wrongs of the past.
Le Bris also knows that promotion will likely have a telling impact on their transfer activity. Sunderland are aware that Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg are attracting heavy interest and may be difficult to retain this summer. However, speculation regarding potential incomings at the Stadium of Light is also escalating.
Reports suggest Hansa Rostock’s Ahmet Gurleyen is on the Black Cats’ radar and could be available for just £414,000. No matter the division they ply their trade in next campaign, there is always scope for financially advantageous deals to occur in the North East.
On that token, Sunderland are eyeing a midfielder who has emerged as one of the most promising stars to come out of his nation in recent years.
Sunderland plot swoop for Motherwell sensation Lennon Miller
According to Graeme Bailey via EFL Analysis, Sunderland are among a clutch of clubs in the running to sign Motherwell’s Lennon Miller this summer as the midfielder continues to star at Fir Park.
Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Leeds United and top flight sides such as Liverpool and rivals Newcastle United are also mooted to have shown interest in the Scotland Under-21 international.
Sunderland agree deal to sell £5,000-a-week player who Tony Mowbray loved
This comes after talks in the last few weeks.
ByCharlie Smith Mar 6, 2025
Branded as “an exceptional talent” by Motherwell chief executive Brian Caldwell, Miller has registered four goals and six assists in 30 appearances across all competitions this term.
Only 18 years of age, the prodigious star has already worn the captain’s armband at his club. He is viewed as one of the hottest properties in Scottish football and the Steelmen estimate that he could be worth just under £10 million, even with his contract rolling into its final year.
Demonstrating versatility in the engine room, Miller has won 128 duels and 71.8% of his tackles on Scottish Premiership duty. Offensively, the Wishaw-born man has created 42 chances, so it is easy to see why his list of admirers is growing.
Sunderland are set to be in a decent position to land his services if they gain promotion this term. Nevertheless, whether he will opt for the Stadium of Light remains to be seen.