Susanna Sealy and Graham Falk are back to go over all the latest news from the world of women's football, including how important Sarina Wiegman's new England contract could be, the WSL transfer window and the Ellie Roebuck to Barcelona rumours alongside all of last weekend's Women's FA Cup action.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [music] Welcome back to the Women's Super League
00:05 Show with myself, Susanna Seeley, and Scotsman and National World writer, Graeme Fork. Today,
00:10 we will be looking at the FA Cup action that took place last week, the upcoming WSL fixtures
00:16 taking place this weekend. The biggest news from recent times is Serena Vigman has signed
00:22 a new contract which is now in place until at least 2027. Graeme, this is covering the
00:30 next Euros tournament. Obviously, we've spoken about her so much on this show and pledged
00:36 our eternal gratitude to her. What does this mean for the Lionesses that they've got her
00:45 until 2027? Graeme Fork I think it's huge. For people listening,
00:50 this is completely fresh. We got it half an hour ago. I had one of those normal Tuesday
00:55 mornings where I had my coffee. I feel like I look a little bit rough today. Fair enough,
00:59 maybe I do. I'm looking at myself and thinking, "Oh, sleepy." Then 9/22 pops in my inbox on
01:05 the FA. Serena signed a new contract and it was like, "Oh, hang on a minute. Right, okay.
01:09 Let me just process it and write about it." I think it's great news. I don't think she's
01:17 ever been unhappy. I've been in press conferences where she's been asked about a new contract
01:21 and she's just so professional with it. She's like, "I'm concentrating on the game or the
01:24 next tournament or whatever it may be. We'll discuss that when it comes to it. You'll get
01:28 the news when it comes." She's always struck me as someone who really enjoys the job with
01:33 the Lionesses. I really enjoy her at the job a lot because I think in the context of history,
01:43 she's the most successful England women's manager of all time. I also think what people
01:48 will realize with Beegman when she's gone in terms of managing another international
01:54 club or another club, I don't think people will realize quite what we had until that
01:59 point. She just absolutely oozes class. If you're talking about people with just sheer
02:05 class, she's right at the top of my list. I think when you have people who are tactically
02:11 as astute as she is, as classy as she is in press conferences, as intelligent as she is,
02:18 which England player doesn't want to leave their guts out there for her every single
02:23 time? I think they do. We've discussed England when they've lost a World Cup final. We've
02:28 discussed England when they've won semifinals. We've discussed England when they've just
02:31 got past Scotland. We've discussed England when they've absolutely thrashed Scotland
02:35 or been a bit under par or the best team in the world. Every single time, I've never thought
02:39 it's been an effort thing. You can see that's coming from Serena just demands the best.
02:43 That's because she is the best. Awarded again, the best award once more. No shock, absolutely
02:50 no surprise at that. I just think it's great news to be honest. I think if she could stay
02:55 here until she's 125, I'd be comfortable with it. I think she's the best in the business.
03:01 I don't think there's anyone better than her for the job at the moment. It's great news
03:04 because that means England have got a massive chance in the next two tournaments. Whenever
03:08 you have Serena, you've got a chance at winning a tournament.
03:11 Well, so obviously you mentioned the awards that she won and we should note as well, again,
03:16 this is something that I do feel that it comes up every week, but once again, huge congratulations
03:22 to Mary Earps who won another award for goalkeeping. No surprises, I don't think, but it's still
03:28 amazing to see. So with Serena, you often get a point with managers where a stalemate
03:37 comes and you're not really sure where to go. What is next for this squad? Like what
03:42 is she now working towards? She's got a Euro, she got a World Cup final. Obviously the contract
03:47 doesn't quite include the next World Cup. Hopefully it's extended to that, but what
03:52 is that?
03:53 No, no, it does cover it. Like we got confirmation that it does cover the 2027 World Cup as well.
03:58 The way it was written indicated that it might not, but it does. We double checked on that.
04:05 I think it's up to that World Cup. We had to double check on that as well. So just do
04:09 a lay for years, everyone. Don't worry. She's also there.
04:11 Sorry guys.
04:12 No, no, no, it's fine. It's the way it was written. We also asked the question. But I
04:16 think with England, like we have such a luxury of good players at the moment. Do I think
04:21 we're as good as Spain? No, I don't. I really don't. I think the World Cup final sort of
04:28 showed the sort of gap in quality at the moment between the two of them, but it's very minimal.
04:35 For me, outside of that, England are, even when we're not on top form, the second best
04:42 side in the world. I know some people might disagree with that, but I think we are. I
04:47 think it's not just about the quality we have as well. I think, you know, you look at the
04:53 Holland game and like Twitter, like the Netherlands game, sorry, the Twitter was full of people
04:57 where they were like, oh no, like England, you know, maybe this is hit the Malay with
05:02 Serena. Like, you know, it's not been great the past few weeks. And then we came out in
05:06 the second half and banged in three goals and then like absolutely destroyed Scotland
05:11 and they're both really difficult games. And that's mindset. That's not only a skill thing.
05:18 You need a mindset to pull back a 2-0, being 2-0 down at half time and quality helps that,
05:25 but mindset to get back into it also helps. So I think Serena will probably know she's
05:30 behind or England are behind Spain at the moment. I mean, Bournemouth, Patea, I could
05:35 name whoever you want, really, that's in that squad. There's loads of them and they've got
05:40 good young up and coming players, the best up and coming young players coming through
05:44 at the moment as well in terms of Salma. I think she will see them as a target and something
05:50 to hit. I think England are maybe for the past couple of years have been like a target
05:56 on our back because we've been seen as the best in Europe because we won the Euros and
06:00 being seen as potentially the best in the world because we got World Cup final without
06:03 playing that well throughout the tournament. Spain, I think are that target at the minute.
06:09 They've got a target on the back because I think people know they probably deserve to
06:12 win that World Cup and they were probably the best side. They've got the best players
06:15 in the world currently, but we're not that far behind. So I think she'll probably, I
06:19 don't think she feels pressure, but she'll probably quite enjoy being able to build a
06:23 team to match what people class as the best in the world. And that is our target. That
06:27 has to be that. Spain are going to be in the Euros. Spain are going to be in the World
06:30 Cup barring an absolute disaster, which is just not going to happen. Look, I put my house
06:34 on Spain and England being there with both. And I think her target will be like, can I
06:39 build a squad and start in 11 that can get beyond them if we meet them like we did in
06:44 the Euros. And I think she can, like, you know, we discuss our big players such as really
06:51 bright, for example, Mary Earps is a big name, big player, Alessio Russo's developed into
06:56 that. But I think what she will probably see as her biggest task, the Euros we had Jill
07:04 Scott able to be brought on, Ellen White was able to be brought on, Fran Kirby was fully
07:09 fit and able to play all the time. Jill Scott's retired, Ellen White's retired. Fran Kirby
07:15 has had, you know, issues with fitness. I really hope she gets over them and she appears
07:21 to be with, you know, recent times, but I think her next job and her main sort of blueprint
07:28 for the next squads will be finding kind of what you had in the Euros where she could
07:34 take off Ellen White and bring on Alessio Russo, take off Fran Kirby and bring on Ella
07:38 Toone and bring on Chloe Kelly. She's probably looking at that next generation that can come
07:43 on for Chloe Kelly, that can come on for Lauren Hemp and come on for Ella Toone. And I think
07:48 she'll get it. Like, you know, you've only got to look through England's younger generation
07:52 that's coming through. For me, I've spoke about it numerous times. I think Maile Tissier's
07:56 in England, international to come for seasons and seasons, but there's loads more. And I
08:01 think she'll see it as that, but I think she can do it. I'm always confident with her,
08:06 to be honest.
08:07 Who do you, who are some of those players that you think might be, obviously Maile Tissier
08:12 for defence, but sort of looking at those midfield, like striking positions?
08:15 Yeah, I mean, I think there's a number of positions for me. Grace Clinton's a real big
08:20 talent. I think getting regular game time with Bristol City last season, you think,
08:26 you know, what's she going to be like in the WSL on a regular basis? And she's just been
08:29 absolutely classless, Spurs, and she's in the squad. I think that's massive. I think
08:33 when you're looking at the striking positions, she's not been in recently, but Katie Robinson's
08:38 been in and around. She was in the World Cup squad. She's not mentioned much, but she is
08:43 a talent. Like she is really good. She's another option that you can have off the bench. Ebony
08:47 Salmon, you know, on a day, really, really good striker. But for me, the big one, if
08:52 you want me to pinpoint someone would be, to be honest, Grace Clinton and Maile Tissier,
08:57 which Manchester United fans are probably delighted that I've just said, but it's factual.
09:02 It's factual. It's based in fact.
09:05 Well we were speaking about Spain earlier and we won't have time to completely cover
09:09 it, but let us mention there is a new transfer rumour buzzing around and we talked about
09:15 her last week. Elie Roback has now been linked with Barcelona reportedly. Yeah. Don't know
09:21 about you. That is, well, you told me just before we started recording and I made sort
09:26 of quite an odd face that you then reacted to as well. What on earth is that?
09:33 I think we'll probably need the second half of the show to totally go into it, but yeah,
09:37 it was Maria Ticas that posted it, who is like, she knows everything about Barca. She's
09:41 a really good journalist, really nice woman as well. She said that they were looking at
09:47 her, she's reported it, so there'll be substance in it. I don't know. Elie's a good goalkeeper.
09:54 She is. She's maybe not been at the height of her game recently and she'll want to get
09:57 back in the England squad, but Barcelona are the best team in the world. It's not that
10:01 I'm criticising Elie Roback. It's like, I don't know. I can't imagine. I just can't
10:06 see it. But I think, yeah. So one of the things we were saying last week is because she does
10:12 want to get back into that England squad, the main thing she should be looking for according
10:17 to our lonely minds is game time. And you can't imagine that she's going to get that
10:23 if she's not getting that at Man City, she's hardly likely to be getting it at Barcelona.
10:29 Which you know, we've got Srinivu until 2027. She's going to be wanting to play in that
10:34 squad and it's not seeming likely if she's competing up against with some of the best
10:38 in the world. But as you say, definitely something that we will continue discussing post-break
10:43 where we will also take a look at the FA Cup and upcoming WSL fixtures this weekend.