Man City squad overview: Gareth Taylor’s full roster including new signings for 2024/25 | OneFootball

After an impressive 2023/24 season, Gareth Taylor’s Manchester City will be competing for four pieces of silverware in the coming campaign. With a squad stacked with seasoned internationals, who are the players hoping to go one better this season?

Take a look below as we run through the star-studded Man City squad ahead of another competitive season in the Women’s Super League and beyond.

Man City new signings

Manchester City got their transfer window off to a bang with the signing of WSL all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema. The forward made the move to Manchester, signing for the Sky Blues from Arsenal where she had spent the previous seven seasons.

Taylor’s side has also secured the signatures of Japanese internationals Risa Shimizu and Aoba Fujino. Shimizu joins the Sky Blues from West Ham, having spent two seasons in London. The defender was forced to pull out of Japan’s Olympic campaign with a knee injury, with the defender returning to the City Football Academy for assessment.

Fujino is the third new signing of the window, joining from Tokyo Verdy Beleza after signing for the club in 2021. Scoring seven goals in 24 games for Japan, the forward will add additional depth to City’s attacking lineup.

Taylor’s side have also added two new goalkeepers to their squad. Youngster Eve Annets joined the Cityzens from Reading, whilst Ayaka Yamashita made the move to Manchester from INAC Kobe Leonessa.

Goalkeepers

City’s goalkeeping crisis has been well-documented over previous seasons. The Sky Blues began the 2023/24 campaign with three senior goalkeepers. Former No.1 goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck was unavailable for much of the season after suffering a stroke. The shot-stopper joined Barcelona during the summer transfer window in a bid to secure more playing time.

Scotland international Sandy Maciver suffered an ACL injury whilst playing for Scotland in April. The injury left the No.26 sidelined for the remainder of the season with the keeper unlikely to feature for the Cityzens for several months.

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Young star Khiara Keating was undoubtedly instrumental in City’s domestic success throughout the 2023/24 campaign. Winning the Golden Glove against some of the biggest names in the world, the No.35 kept their title hopes alive until the final game of the season.

Annets and Yamashita will add some much-needed depth in goal as City look to lift the WSL title for a second time in their history.

Defenders

The Man City defence is the second area where the squad lacks real depth. The retirement of club legend Steph Houghton alongside the departures of Ruby Mace and Demi Stokes has left City with just a handful of defenders available for selection.

Alex Greenwood will lead City’s backline, taking the captain’s armband following Houghton’s retirement. Australian international Alanna Kennedy will join the No.5 alongside Spanish stars Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi. Kerstin Casparij and Tara O’Hanlon round out City’s defensive lineup alongside new signing Shimizu.

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Taylor will likely look to recruit at least one additional defender in 2025. Should Shimizu’s injury prove more long-term, the Sky Blues may need further reinforcements to bolster their squad numbers.

Midfielders

The Sky Blues’ midfield currently consists of four full internationals. Dutch midfielder Jill Roord has been absent from the squad since sustaining an ACL injury in January. The Sky Blues currently have three midfielders fit going into the new season. England internationals Laura Coombs and Laura Blindkilde-Brown are joined in the midfield by Japan’s Yui Hasegawa.

Coombs has spent the past five years in Manchester, joining in 2019 from Liverpool. Hasegawa joined Taylor’s side from fellow WSL side West Ham in 2022 having spent a year in the capital. Blindkilde-Brown was City’s final deadline day signing in January 2024 after two stand-out seasons with Aston Villa.

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Forwards

The Manchester City squad boasts a front line stacked with international talent. Club top scorer Bunny Shaw leads the Sky Blues lineup, the Jamaican international moved to Manchester in 2021 from French side Bordeaux.

Miedema will offer Taylor’s side another attacking option alongside Australian international Mary Fowler. The 21-year-old has spent the past two seasons in Manchester, bagging four goals and six assists during City’s 2023/24 league campaign. England stars Lauren Hemp, Chloe Kelly and Jess Park add an impressive depth to the Sky Blues’ attacking lineup with 38 goal involvements between them in the league last season.

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England U19 star Poppy Pritchard joined Taylor’s side on deadline day in January 2024. Fujino rounds out City’s attacking lineup heading into the 2024/25 campaign.

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