Everton Women have added nine players and confirmed six permanent departures during a significant restructuring of Scott Phelan’s squad ahead of the 2026/27 season. Read our Everton Women summer transfer recap 2026 below.
Eight players have joined permanently: Zara Kramžar, Noémie Mouchon, Hannah Cain, Hannah Blundell, Holly McNamara, Jutta Rantala, Rylee Foster-Inman and Hannah Silcock. Manchester City defender Naomi Layzell has also arrived on a season-long loan.
The greatest change is in attack. Katja Snoeijs, Kelly Gago and Toni Payne have left, while Everton have recruited Mouchon, Cain, McNamara and Rantala to give Phelan a new collection of central and wide forwards.
Everton have also retained important continuity. Captain Megan Finnigan, Aurora Galli and Karen Holmgaard have signed or activated deals running until June 2027.
The club have not indicated that their summer business is complete. This page therefore covers Everton’s confirmed transfer activity so far and will be updated if further moves are announced.
Last updated: 30 August 2026.
Everton Women’s summer transfer snapshot
| Category | Total |
|---|---|
| Permanent signings | 8 |
| Loan signings | 1 |
| Permanent departures | 6 |
| Contract renewals | 3 |
| Total confirmed activities | 18 |
Everton Women summer transfer recap 2026
Every Everton Women signing in summer 2026
| Player | Position | Previous club | Transfer | Contract information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zara Kramžar | Midfielder | AS Roma | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Noémie Mouchon | Forward | Leicester City | Free transfer | Length not disclosed |
| Hannah Cain | Forward | Leicester City | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Hannah Blundell | Defender | Manchester United | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Holly McNamara | Forward | Melbourne City | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Jutta Rantala | Forward | Leicester City | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Naomi Layzell | Defender | Manchester City | Season-long loan | Until the end of 2026/27 |
| Rylee Foster-Inman | Goalkeeper | Halifax Tides | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
| Hannah Silcock | Defender | Liverpool | Permanent | Length not disclosed |
Everton Women summer transfer recap 2026
Four forwards reshape Everton’s attack
Everton’s recruitment has concentrated heavily on a forward line that lost three senior players during the summer.
Noémie Mouchon arrives from Leicester City
Noémie Mouchon joined Everton on a free transfer following two seasons with Leicester. The France Under-23 international made 24 appearances in all competitions for her former club and scored twice.
The 23-year-old offers pace and the ability to attack space behind a defence. Her contract length has not been disclosed, but Everton identified her early as part of a broader attempt to add more speed and variety around the penalty area.
Mouchon’s arrival is not a direct replacement for one departing player. She can contribute from wider areas or move closer to the striker, helping Everton distribute the attacking responsibility previously carried by Snoeijs, Gago and Payne.
Hannah Cain returns to Everton
Hannah Cain has returned to Everton after leaving Leicester City. The Wales international previously developed within Everton’s system before establishing herself at senior level elsewhere.
Her final Leicester season produced one WSL assist across 1,597 league minutes. Everton have not disclosed the length of her contract.
Cain brings league experience and can operate centrally or from a wider starting position. Her familiarity with English football should reduce the adaptation required compared with players arriving in the WSL for the first time.
Holly McNamara brings goals from Australia
Holly McNamara joined after a productive period with Melbourne City. The Australia international arrives with consecutive domestic Golden Boot awards and gives Everton another natural centre-forward option.
At 23, she combines senior experience with room for further development. The step from the A-League Women to the WSL will bring different physical and tactical demands, but her scoring record provides Everton with a forward accustomed to carrying a significant share of her team’s attacking output. Her contract length has not been announced.
Jutta Rantala completes a Leicester trio
Jutta Rantala is the third player to move from Leicester to Everton this summer, following Mouchon and Cain.
The Finland international can play through the centre or from the left, adding another adaptable forward to Phelan’s squad. Her WSL experience and ability to create as well as finish chances should complement the more direct qualities of McNamara and Mouchon. Everton have not disclosed Rantala’s contract length.
Together, the four arrivals give Everton more attacking combinations than a one-for-one replacement strategy would have provided. McNamara offers a central focal point, Mouchon adds speed, while Cain and Rantala can move between central and wide roles.
Familiar players become permanent Everton signings
Two of Everton’s permanent arrivals were already part of the team last season.
Zara Kramžar completes permanent move from Roma
Zara Kramžar initially joined Everton from Roma on loan in February 2026, with an obligation to complete a permanent transfer. The 20-year-old midfielder contributed during Everton’s improved finish to the season and has now formally joined the club.
Retaining her gives Phelan continuity in an otherwise heavily altered squad. Kramžar can operate as an attacking midfielder or move into wider areas, providing a link between Everton’s established midfield and their new forwards.
Neither the transfer fee nor the length of her Everton contract has been disclosed.
Hannah Blundell stays after loan spell
Hannah Blundell has also converted a temporary stay into a permanent move. The defender spent last season on loan at Everton from Manchester United and regularly operated at full-back.
Her permanent signing removes one of the uncertainties from the defensive rebuild. Blundell already understands Phelan’s methods, her teammates and the demands of playing at Goodison Park, while bringing extensive WSL experience.
Everton have not announced the length of her new contract.
Layzell and Silcock strengthen the defence
Everton added two young English centre-backs following Martina Fernández’s return to Barcelona.
Naomi Layzell has joined from Manchester City for the complete 2026/27 season. No purchase option has been publicly announced. The loan should give the defender a clearer route to regular senior football while adding depth alongside Finnigan, Ruby Mace and Everton’s other central options.
Hannah Silcock completed a permanent transfer from Liverpool for an undisclosed fee. The England Under-23 international provides another longer-term defensive option, although Everton have not announced her contract length.
Adding one permanent defender and one loanee creates both immediate competition and future flexibility. Silcock can develop as an Everton player, while Layzell’s situation can be reassessed with Manchester City after the season.
Rylee Foster-Inman joins the goalkeeper group
Foster-Inman signed from Canadian club Halifax Tides after the departures of Emily Ramsey and Inês Pereira.
The goalkeeper previously played in England with Liverpool and returns with senior experience from Canada. Everton have not disclosed the length of her contract.
Her arrival restores depth behind Courtney Brosnan. Pereira spent last season on loan at Deportivo de La Coruña before completing a permanent transfer, while Ramsey joined Aston Villa following the expiry of her Everton contract.
Every Everton Women departure in summer 2026
| Player | Position | Destination | Departure details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katja Snoeijs | Forward | Ajax | Left as a free agent; signed a three-year Ajax contract |
| Toni Payne | Defender/winger | Inter | Everton contract expired; permanent move |
| Emily Ramsey | Goalkeeper | Aston Villa | Everton contract expired; permanent move |
| Kelly Gago | Forward | West Ham United | Permanent transfer while under contract until 2028 |
| Martina Fernández | Defender | Barcelona | Barcelona activated a pre-agreed buy-back clause |
| Inês Pereira | Goalkeeper | Deportivo de La Coruña | Permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee |
Everton Women summer transfer recap 2026
Different routes take six players away from Everton
Everton’s departures did not all happen under the same circumstances. Snoeijs and Payne left after reaching the end of their contracts. Snoeijs returned to the Netherlands with Ajax on a three-year deal, while Payne moved to Serie A with Inter.
Ramsey also departed following the expiry of her contract. Her permanent move to Aston Villa created a vacancy in the goalkeeper group that Everton subsequently filled with Foster-Inman.
Gago’s move was different. The France forward remained under contract with Everton until 2028 but completed a permanent transfer to West Ham. Her departure came only a year after joining the club and removed a forward who had been recruited as part of Everton’s previous attacking rebuild.
Barcelona exercised a pre-agreed buy-back clause to re-sign Fernández. The Spain defender had developed into an important member of Everton’s back line, but the existing clause gave her former club a defined route to bring her back.
Pereira made her move to Deportivo permanent after spending the 2025/26 season there on loan. The transfer was completed for an undisclosed fee and formalised a departure that had already taken place in practical terms a year earlier.
Three renewals retain Everton’s core
| Player | Position | Contract information |
|---|---|---|
| Megan Finnigan | Defender | New one-year contract until June 2027 |
| Aurora Galli | Midfielder | One-year option activated until June 2027 |
| Karen Holmgaard | Midfielder | New one-year contract until June 2027 |
The three extensions are particularly important because they retain experience in the areas surrounding Everton’s new signings.
Finnigan’s new deal extends her association with Everton beyond 20 years. The club captain joined the academy at the age of nine and remains a central figure in the squad, both defensively and within the leadership group.
Everton activated the one-year option in Galli’s contract. The Italy midfielder provides experience and attacking quality from central areas after recovering from a serious knee injury during her time with the club.
Holmgaard has also committed for another season. Keeping the Denmark international ensures the midfield has established WSL experience around Kramžar and Everton’s other developing players.
How Everton’s squad has changed
Goalkeepers
Foster-Inman is the only new goalkeeper, replacing two permanent departures. That reduces the number of senior options unless another goalkeeper is added, although Pereira had already spent the previous campaign away on loan.
Brosnan remains the established option, with Foster-Inman providing competition and cover.
Defence
Fernández is the major defensive departure. Everton have responded by retaining Blundell permanently, signing Silcock and borrowing Layzell for the season.
Finnigan’s renewal is equally significant. Her leadership and understanding with the existing defenders give Phelan a stable point around which to integrate Layzell and Silcock.
The balance has shifted towards younger centre-backs without removing all of the department’s experience.
Midfield
The midfield has changed less dramatically than the other areas. Kramžar’s loan became permanent, while Galli and Holmgaard extended their stays.
Those decisions allow Everton to build on existing relationships rather than constructing a completely new unit. Kramžar supplies attacking potential, with Galli and Holmgaard providing senior experience around her.
Attack
This is the clearest reconstruction. Snoeijs, Gago and Payne have left, while Mouchon, Cain, McNamara and Rantala have arrived.
Everton have moved from a smaller group of established options towards a deeper collection of forwards with different strengths. McNamara brings the most recent goalscoring pedigree, Mouchon offers direct pace and Rantala adds creative flexibility. Cain supplies another experienced WSL option capable of playing in multiple attacking roles.
Phelan’s challenge will be establishing combinations and a reliable source of goals quickly. Four arrivals improve the range of choices but also require a substantial amount of integration before the attacking hierarchy becomes clear.
Everton’s transfer-window assessment so far
Everton have used the transfer summer to change the balance of the squad rather than simply increase its size.
The forward line is younger and more varied, the defence contains additional development potential and the club have replaced two departing goalkeepers with one new signing. Familiarity has been retained through the permanent deals for Kramžar and Blundell, alongside the renewals for Finnigan, Galli and Holmgaard.
The recruitment also reflects a mixture of immediate and longer-term priorities. Blundell, Cain and Rantala know the WSL, while McNamara, Silcock, Mouchon and Foster-Inman arrive with room to grow into larger roles.
The main uncertainty is how quickly the rebuilt attack can replace the goals and minutes lost through Snoeijs, Gago and Payne. There is talent across the new group, but Everton will need consistent production rather than relying on one arrival to carry the scoring burden.
Because the club have not declared their business complete, a final assessment should wait until the window closes. The confirmed work so far nevertheless gives Phelan a substantially different squad from the one that ended last season.
Everton Women transfers 2026: frequently asked questions
Which players have Everton Women signed in summer 2026?
Everton have signed Zara Kramžar, Noémie Mouchon, Hannah Cain, Hannah Blundell, Holly McNamara, Jutta Rantala, Rylee Foster-Inman and Hannah Silcock permanently. Naomi Layzell has joined on a season-long loan from Manchester City.
Which players have left Everton Women?
Katja Snoeijs, Toni Payne, Emily Ramsey, Kelly Gago, Martina Fernández and Inês Pereira have completed permanent departures.
How many players have Everton Women signed?
Everton have added nine players so far: eight permanent signings and one season-long loan.
Is Naomi Layzell’s Everton move permanent?
No. Layzell has joined Everton from Manchester City on loan for the full 2026/27 season. No purchase option has been announced.
Which Everton players signed new contracts?
Megan Finnigan and Karen Holmgaard signed new one-year contracts until June 2027. Everton also activated the one-year extension option in Aurora Galli’s deal, keeping her at the club until June 2027.
Have Everton finished their summer transfer business?
Everton have not announced that their business is complete. Further arrivals or departures therefore remain possible before the window closes.
Source: Everton – Everton Women summer transfer recap 2026
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