Where do Man United Women go from here? There are financial and footb…

“Defy the odds”.

Manchester United Women’s slogan for the 2025-26 season is punchy and instructive.

Crafted by a member of the club’s senior hierarchy before the new season, it was meant to serve as a war cry going into a pivotal season. The team were finally in Europe but also fighting to establish themselves among the Women’s Super League’s top teams and compete with more established teams, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City.

But the slogan has become a point of fascination for what it does not say.

According to those inside and close to the women’s team, who, like all those in this piece, will remain anonymous to protect their positions, the slogan has demanded a form of suspended disbelief, a conscious effort to not say the quiet part out loud: that the odds the players are being instructed to defy are, in some part, perpetuated by the club they represent.

For many seasons, United’s players have achieved more than might realistically have been expected of them and this mindset has often been the source of the tight-knit spirit forged within the squad. On Wednesday, that spirit very nearly lifted United improbably into the Champions League semi-finals when Melvine Malard’s early strike in Munich brought the aggregate score to 3-3 with 79 minutes remaining in the second leg against eight-time quarter-finalists Bayern Munich.

But in the second half, familiar cracks appeared. United emerged with a slightly deeper midfield and a team affected by fatigue and injury (United fielded just four outfield players on the bench, one of whom was 18-year-old Jess Anderson, who made her Women’s Super League debut at the weekend). Bayern emerged with an attacking energy that United failed to match or counter.

After registering six shots, four on target, in the first half, United managed just one in the second, an expected goals (xG) total of 0 and 24 per cent possession. Bayern registered nine shots and an xG of 1.45. Despite United’s valiant defence, Bayern broke through with two goals from successive corners in the final 10 minutes to seal a 5-3 aggregate victory.

Ultimately, there was only so long before corner after corner (Bayern scored from their 12th and 13th of the match) would expose a season-long weakness at set pieces.

And there is only so long you can not only hold the line but defy it, too.

Where does this exit leave United Women? They are now out of Europe and the FA Cup, were defeated by Chelsea in the League Cup final and are scrapping for Champions League qualification in their final three Women’s Super League matches. What are the plans in place to ensure they return to the Champions League again, in a space where they are not perennially having to defy so many odds?

Those have been the recurring questions among United Women’s hierarchy and numerous members of United’s executive team this season, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations.

After bringing in Jess Park, Fridolina Rolfo and Julia Zigiotti Olme but being outbid on two other players over the summer, discussions around alternative ways to increase investment began, including the possibility of external backing.

The need to explore investment streams into the women’s team has been recognised within the club since INEOS bought a minority stake in December 2024, but the pace has not been swift. In 2024, United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said that focusing on the operations and finances of the men’s setup had prevented him from fully engaging with the plan for the women’s team.

The stress placed on United’s limited squad while competing on multiple fronts this season has reinforced the need to keep up with the increasingly competitive demands in Europe and domestically..

A meeting in March was targeted as a critical point for senior personnel in the women’s setup and the executive team to have discussions with decision-makers about investment options for the women’s team, including the potential of selling a stake to an external party.

Club sources say the possibility of external investment was swiftly shut down and nothing concrete has been formulated. However, The Athletic has been told by multiple people familiar with the discussions that internal conversations remain ongoing, with final recommendations still to be made to the club’s board and owners.

As part of those conversations, a rebrand with subtle differences has also been raised, according to multiple sources familiar with the conversations, although there are no plans from senior leadership to make any such changes.

United are far from the only club considering potential investment streams for their women’s team. Last May, Reddit co-founder and Angel City co-founder Alexis Ohanian acquired a minority stake (approximately 10 per cent) in Chelsea Women for £20million ($26.4m), placing a valuation of over £200m on the women’s team. Everton Women confirmed a minority investment from Canadian-based GED Investments in December, while The Athletic reported in March that Sunderland Women were in advanced talks to sell a majority stake to U.S. investment firm Sixth Street via its women’s sport platform, Bay Collective.

The conversations remain ongoing within United partly because of this landscape but also out of growing necessity. Multiple people claim United have struggled to keep up with the changing market rates of player wages and transfer fees due to budget constraints, whereas club sources would counter this is a reflection of their sustainable approach.

At least two acquisitions in the recent January window were delayed deals they initially wanted in the previous summer window, and United have been unable to confirm one signing for the upcoming summer due to uncertainty around the squad’s recruitment budget from decision-makers in charge of the club’s overall budgets.

Throughout the season, various messages urging support have been sent to senior figures at the club, including a screenshot of United’s injury-depleted bench against one WSL rival.

Sources describe a team physically pushed to the limit because the squad is so stretched. The injury list includes defender Dominique Janssen, striker Ellen Wangerheim, full-back Anna Sandberg, forward Leah Galton, striker Elisabeth Terland and midfielder Ella Toone. Midfielder Simi Awujo was also forced off against Bayern Munich on Wednesday with what appeared to be a hamstring injury.

Training sessions have been reduced to tactical walkthroughs and analysis and recovery sessions due to apprehensions around potentially accruing more injuries.

However, to say there has been no investment would be disingenuous. In the five years Marc Skinner has been head coach, the club have made 37 signings. The team’s overall operating budget has increased from just under £5m in 2021-22 to £10.7m during the 2024-25 season, according to the team’s most recent accounts.

These numbers could be viewed as being a reflection of a sustainable investment model. However, some inside and outside the women’s team argue that an important distinction separates investing sustainably and investing enough to compete.

Last season, United spent £5.88m on wages, just over half of Arsenal’s £11.3m. Manchester City, who finished fourth in the WSL, reported operating expenses of £14m, £4m more than United’s budget. Chelsea have yet to report their accounts from the 2024-25 season, but their filings from the previous campaign, when they clinched a fifth successive WSL title while reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League, indicated an overall operating budget of over £20m, double that of United’s.

In the five years under Skinner, United have finished fourth, second (a club high), fifth and third in the league. They have reached four major finals, albeit winning only one (a 4-0 victory in the 2023-24 FA Cup against Tottenham Hotspur), while losing the other three to Chelsea by an aggregate score of 6-0.

In the past two seasons, Skinner, who signed a new two-year deal last summer and retains the full support of the club, has managed three wins in 17 matches across all competitions against Chelsea, Arsenal and City. Manchester United have beaten Chelsea once their last in 19 attempts (an FA Cup semi-final in 2023-24), with Skinner winning and drawing once in 15 games against the west London club.

Some people close to the players and team have questioned Skinner’s ability to develop young, promising talent, stating he prefers instead to deal with established players already armed with ample senior experience.

Compared to the rest of the league, United rank lowest for minutes given to players under 21 years old. Before 16-year-old Layla Drury’s WSL debut on February 15, Skinner fielded a player under 21 years old for just 90 minutes across the whole league season. This came in the 3-0 defeat by Manchester City in November, when Wales goalkeeper Safia Middleton-Patel deputised for regular No 1 Phallon Tullis-Joyce, who had suffered a fractured eye socket.

A recurring refrain over the years — but specifically this season from sources in and close to the women’s setup — is that the “players deserve better”.

They say players receive little in the way of coaching instruction on the touchline during games and are left to improvise attacking patterns. Skinner does not get involved in much on-pitch coaching, nor does he generally lead technical sessions, instead trusting staff around him, given his obligations elsewhere.

During training sessions, these sources say some coaching staff either actively participate in sessions with the players (partly to make up numbers due to limited squad depth and injuries) or act as referees, rather than engaging in coaching.

Other people close to the team praise Skinner’s willingness to take public pressure away from the players and staff. They also say he is more tactically astute than he is given credit for, particularly given the constraints within which he is working, and is effective in the way he organises the team defensively.

The 43-year-old is also described as an efficient communicator in public and private settings, and regularly engages in one-on-one sessions with players when available.

Some players have responded well to having freedom to express themselves on the pitch but against savvier and stronger opponents in Europe and England, others have felt this method of coaching has left them vulnerable against strong opposition. In Wednesday’s second half, United struggled to offer any attacking solutions as the hosts consistently pushed them back.

United’s defending from corners and free kicks has also been criticised internally and externally this season. Long-time goalkeeper coach Ian Willcock, who was also responsible for set-piece defending and helped lead United to a WSL clean-sheets record in the 2022-23 season, was among a number of first-team staff to leave the club last summer. Willcock was replaced by former Liverpool Women goalkeeping coach Joe Potts.

This season, United have struggled to defend set pieces, losing 2-1 against Chelsea in the FA Cup fifth round following a goal in extra time from a corner and succumbing to those two late Bayern goals from corners.

“We were knocked out in all our games from a set piece, in the FA Cup and now here,” captain Maya Le Tissier told Disney after Thursday’s defeat. “It’s something we need to work on.”

Man Utd's numbers for goals per 100 set-pieces conceded in the WSL (no data for all comps, which includes UWCL, bc data companies hate women's football)

21-22: 2.4
22-23: 2.0
23-24: 5.5
24-25: 2.2
25-26: 4.9

— Megan Feringa (@megan_feringa) April 1, 2026

Skinner’s overall tactical setups have also come under scrutiny, most notably his decision to use striker Terland as a ‘No 10’ (attacking midfielder) against Chelsea in the League Cup final or striker Wangerheim, signed in January from Hammarby, as a winger.

Wangerheim explained to The Athletic during a League Cup final media day in February that she had been told during negotiations that she would be playing in the ‘No 9’ role (centre-forward). The club later signed forward Lea Schuller from Bayern Munich.

Speaking on February 10, Wangerheim said she needed “some training sessions and games” to get used to her new position on the wing. However, the congested fixture schedule has limited Schuller and Wangerheim’s non-competitive opportunities to acclimatise to their new league. A club source said it was laid out to Wangerheim at the outset that she would, at times, be asked to play on the wing.

The emotional end to United’s debut Champions League campaign will be a difficult pill to swallow, but with three league matches remaining, United will finish the season as they started: by trying to defy the odds. A place in Europe next season will likely require them to improve on that one-win-in-19 record against Chelsea on the final day, while picking up victories against fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and sixth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion.

How long United can hold that line beyond this season remains to be seen. Senior personnel from three clubs below United in WSL have, in conversations with The Athletic, singled out United as the team they are targeting to surpass next season, pointing not only to the financial limitations within which they operate in the transfer market but a lack of infrastructure surrounding the team.

“I’m incredibly proud of what my players are doing on resources we have,” Skinner said after their second-leg defeat by Bayern. “Because we wear Manchester United’s badge, everybody expects us to be the very best team in the world. We have that expectation too. Yet we’ve got to grow because we’re eight years old.

“You (can) give me all the flack. That’s no problem, that’s my job. But if we want to compete at this latter stage, we’ve seen what we’ve got to do, as a club. And then it’s our choice now, isn’t it?”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Manchester United, Premier League, Soccer, Sports Business, Women's Soccer

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Everton are interested in Southampton star Shea Charles, according to the Daily Mail. The Toffees are scouting the 33-cap Northern Ireland international.

Everton need a new defensive midfielder this summer, with Idrissa Gana Gueye getting on in age and Tim Iroegbunam struggling to impress.

Also, Everton could be competing in Europe next season and need enough hands on deck.

The highly-touted Charles fits the profile of the ideal successor to Gueye in the Everton engine room. His ability to evade pressure is remarkable.

The 22-year-old has been a key player for the Saints this season, making 24 appearances in the Championship and winning 4.0 ground duels per 90 (59% success rate).

Charles left on loan last season to Sheffield Wednesday, where he won the club’s player of the year award and was also nominated for the Championship Young Player of the Year.

The Everton target also chips in with goals. He has bagged four across all competitions, including the one that knocked out Arsenal in the FA Cup and another against Liverpool.

Those performances have reportedly caught Everton’s eye. The Toffees are always open to shopping in the second division.

Everton should not hesitate here.

Charles looks every bit like a player ready to make the jump, and the Championship has long proven to be fertile ground for Premier League-ready talent.

His mix of composure under pressure, defensive bite, and knack for decisive moments suggests there is far more to unlock at a higher level.

Crucially, this is the kind of calculated gamble Everton need to embrace.

A season or two learning the ropes alongside Gueye might sharpen his positional awareness and discipline, easing his transition into the top flight.

For a club looking to build smartly, this feels like a risk worth taking and one that can pay off handsomely.

Chelsea reportedly have a “very favourable buy-back option” for a player they recently sold to sister-club Strasbourg, Diego Moreira.

It looks like he is now looking to move away from Strasbourg in the summer, and Chelsea will have a decision to make on whether they want to try and bring back the versatile left-sided player or not.

EXCLUSIVE! What the expect this summer as Chelsea look to sign established players – list of names in this 👀

DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CHELSEA NEWS APP FOR ALL THE LATEST UPDATES – STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON THE APP STORE

Of course, he is a BlueCo player already, so it will be very easy to bring him back to Chelsea, especially with this apparently official buy-back option for The Blues.

But there is also other interest coming in for the 21-year-old, so BlueCo may prefer to just cash in altogether and move him on now.

Dortmund are keen

According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Borussia Dortmund are among the clubs to have Diego Moreira on their shortlist for the summer.

He states that Moreira is planning a move in the upcoming window, with a potential fee in the region of €30–40 million.

Chelsea are believed to hold a very favourable buy-back option.

In other news today

I personally didn’t think it was fair that Fernandez got punishment but Marc Cucurella didn’t. There was variations in their comments but they both essentially did the same thing. Podcasters have been debating this very subject.

Chelsea academy star Ryan Kavuma-McQueen made his debut for the club against Port Vale at the weekend, and he has since been compared with academy graduate Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is of course now at Nottingham Forest.

If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.

Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:

The Los Angeles Angels are now 6-5 after a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Monday night.

The Angels had plenty of momentum after taking two out of three in the series against the Seattle Mariners over the weekend.

Mike Trout, who is day-to-day after being hit by a pitch on Sunday, did not play in the game, but it didn't matter.

The Braves started star left-hander Chris Sale, but the former Cy Young winner had a rough night.

Sale went just four innings, giving up six runs on five hits with a pair of walks and seven strikeouts.

It was Sale's first loss of the season, and easily his worst outing of 2026.

Braves catcher Drake Baldwin gave Sale an early lead with a solo home run in the first, but Zach Neto tied it up with a solo shot of his own in the bottom half of the first inning.

Another day, another lead-off blast for Zach Neto pic.twitter.com/wQJk4Gl3q7

— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) April 7, 2026

The Angels then scored three runs in the fourth inning with an RBI walk, a run driven in when Yoan Moncada was hit by a pitch, and Bruce Teodosio driving in a run with an RBI single.

Jo Adell, who played hero over the weekend with his unreal three-home run robbery game, had a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth that moved the score to 6-1.

is it June already? pic.twitter.com/I4vKKAesAU

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) April 7, 2026

Adell had two hits in the game, and the Angels, despite having just five hits, scored six runs.

Jose Soriano, who started on Opening Day, once again showed why he is capable of being an ace.

Soriano went eight innings, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out 10 batters. Even more impressive was that Soriano did not walk a single batter, and he threw a total of 97 pitches.

Soriano's ERA is now at 0.45, and his impressive start continues as he is 3-0 on the year.

Take a bow, José Soriano 👏

He strikes out 10 batters over eight dominant innings and has allowed just one run over 20 innings pitched this season! pic.twitter.com/Pcrtxq493m

— MLB (@MLB) April 7, 2026

Chase Silseth allowed a run in the ninth before Jordaon Romano came in to get the final out of the game.

The Angels have now rattled off three straight wins, and the series continues on Tuesday.

Reynaldo Lopez, who has a 1.64 ERA this year, takes the mound for the Braves. Yusei Kikuchi, who has had a pair of rough outings, takes the mound for the Angels. He has a 6.52 ERA, so it will be interesting to see if he can tighten things up in his third start.

Texas baseball’s Anthony Pack was recently named Co-Freshman of the Week by the SEC, sharing the award with Missouri’s Blaize Ward, after Pack went .727/.769/.909 against South Carolina. Here’s how a recent Inside Texas report broke down Pack’s performance in recent weeks, beyond his dominance versus USC: “In the 12 games leading up to the South Carolina series, Pack Jr. had been suffering through a tough stretch at the plate, slashing .200/.368/.311 in the stretch from Ole Miss through the Texas State game.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT THE LONGHORNS

Austin American-Statesman: Report: Texas G Aaliyah Crump transferring after one season with Longhorns

Austin American-Statesman: After two seasons at Texas, Justice Carlton enters transfer portal

247Sports: Texas basketball transfer portal stay or go: Matas Vokietaitis

247Sports: Texas football announces start time for open practice, fan day to conclude spring ball

247Sports: How will Cam Coleman change things for Ryan Wingo? What history says about Texas football’s WR outlook

Inside Texas: Latest Texas Team Intel: OL vs DL, emerging TE playmakers

ICYMI IN BURNT ORANGE NATION

Texas bricks its way to 51-44 loss to UCLA in the Final Four

No. 2 Texas suffers surprising beatdown by South Carolina in 9-1 loss

RECRUITING ROUNDUP

Austin American-Statesman: Texas Basketball: 5 transfers to target as NCAA portal window opens

Austin American-Statesman: Future Texas women’s basketball stars light up McDonald’s All-American game

247Sports: The Stampede: Running down each in-state Texas target (defense)

247Sports: The Stampede: Running down each in-state Texas target (offense)

247Sports: Inside Brysen Wright’s recruitment: Three programs stand out to 2028’s top WR

Inside Texas: Texas hosting elite 2027 four-star OT Ismael Camara

SEC SHOWDOWN

Inside Texas: The end of the SEC’s college football monopoly… for duopoly

Inside Texas: The Texas vs. Texas A&M baseball showdown is incoming

Good Bull Hunting: Aggie baseball takes home series over Vanderbilt

Rock M Nation: Mizzou basketball 2026 transfer tracker

And The Valley Shook: Cade Arrambide homers four times as LSU rallies to win Tennessee series

Red Cup Rebellion: How many SEC games will Ole Miss baseball win?

Rocky Top Talk: Bishop Boswell entering transfer portal

Roll ‘Bama Roll: Alabama baseball wins another series

A Sea of Blue: Denzel Aberdeen, seemingly out of eligibility, enters NCAA Transfer Portal

WHAT WE’RE READING

SB Nation: Yaxel Lendeborg needed a miracle to end up at Michigan. Now he’s everything the NBA should want

SB Nation: Angel Reese’s time in Chicago is officially over

SB Nation: Dan Hurley’s players recall his angriest practice tirades: ‘That was my welcome to UConn moment’

NEWS ACROSS LONGHORN NATION AND BEYOND

• Some words following Texas women’s basketball’s loss.