KEYSTONE KOP? Can Taylor Swiftly Succeed?

Liverpool embark on a new chapter after four years of Matt Beard, and an interim stint for Amber Whiteley. The Reds believe they have their key to success in Gareth Taylor. So is he the right replacement?

Head Coach: After a long summer of searching Gareth Taylor was appointed head coach at Liverpool, with interim boss Amber Whiteley as his assistant. He takes the top position again at a club in the WSL having had mixed results at Manchester City over the last few years.

After winning two trophies at the club (one FA Cup and one League Cup) Taylor and City parted ways in March this year with the club sitting in 4th place; just five days before the League Cup Final. Taylor’s sacking had been on the horizon for a while with results not going well, but the timing was still surprising.

Opinions on Taylor are mixed at best; described earlier this year as ‘cold, unsympathetic, old school’ it will be interesting to see how that matches with Liverpool’s passionate fanbase.

New Signings: Kirsty Maclean, Rafaela Borggräfe, Sam Kerr, Lily Woodham, Beata Olsson, Alejandra Bernabé, Emilia Szymczak (Loan from Barcelona), Risa Shimizu (Loan from Manchester City).

Outlook: Four deadline day signings in Alejandra Bernabé, Risa Shimizu, Emilia Szmyczak and Beata Olsson could prove to be a massive boost for Liverpool, having lost a lot of first team players at the end of last season.

The loss of Olivia Smith, Niamh Fahey and Taylor Hinds will be huge for the Reds. Hinds left for Arsenal on a free, and Fahey retired. Liverpool at least managed to recoup a (then) world record fee for the exciting Olivia Smith.

Before the raft of signings on deadline day I was genuinely worried for Liverpool and their spot in the WSL. For a club this big and with their history this doesn’t feel like something that should even be possible, but recent years have shown that no-one is too big to go down.

Overall it doesn’t seem like the club has the same sort of infrastructure – and maybe commitment – supporting the women’s team as it does the men’s. Though obviously they’re not alone in this.

In the summer Liverpool men twice broke the transfer record and spent over £400m in players. The women’s team haven’t made the same sort of statement signings, but I still think they have just about enough quality to stay above the drop.

They still have strength in depth in the likes of young Lioness Mia Enderby, plus Ireland international Leanne Kiernan, and Austrian midfielder Marie Höbinger (above, left to right).

Hopes probably rest with Beata Olsson, who scored 11 goals in 15 games in 2025 for her previous team Kristianstads DFF, so maybe she can hit the ground running and make up for the obvious hole left in the team by Olivia Smith’s departure.

Will Finish: 9th