It’s official—the January transfer window for the FAWSL is now closed. To say it’s been a busy window would be an understatement. To catch up on all the signings, be sure to check out our roundups from week one, week two, and week three. Below, we’ll be looking at all the last minute deals that happened before the transfer window closed.

 

MANCHESTER UNITED SIGNS MARIA THORISDOTTIR

United decided to leave their transfer business until late in the window by signing Maria Thorisdottir from Chelsea only earlier in the week. Thorisdottir had a contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2021, so it’s clear that the club wanted to cash in on the player on the assumption that she’d be leaving for free in a few months.

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— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 22, 2021

It’s rare to see top clubs sign players from their direct rivals. Chelsea and Manchester United are not just two of the top teams in the league—they’re currently tied atop the standings, with both of them in the hunt for a title.

Thorisdottir is a fantastic player, but with the squad that Chelsea had, she was not getting much playing time. This season, she’s only played in two league matches (and five in all competitions). Comparing that to her twenty-four appearances in her first season at Chelsea, it’s clear that she’s fallen down the depth chart.

Make no mistake though, Thorisdottir is still an impressive defender—she’s quick, aggressive, and is excellent with the ball at her feet, making it easy for her to play out from the back. She’s also coming to United with experience playing in the league (and championship experience as well, having won five trophies during her time at Chelsea), and a lot of international experience with Norway.

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— Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) January 22, 2021

As a defender, Maria Thorisdottir primarily plays as a right-back in a back four, but she has the capabilities of also playing as right centre-back in a back three. Her flexibility will give Manchester United manager Casey Stoney options going forward.

 

WEST HAM UNITED SIGNS DAGNÝ BRYNJARSDÓTTIR

In London, meanwhile, West Ham opted to sign midfielder Dagný Brynjarsdóttir from Icelandic club Selfoss. Before she returned to her home country of Iceland, Brynjarsdóttir played for Bayern Munich in the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2015 and for the Portland Thorns in the NWSL from 2016-2019, winning the NWSL Championship in her second year at the club.

⚒ She's one of our own...

Welcome to West Ham United, @dagnybrynjars! ???????? ✍️ pic.twitter.com/xRW3fRrWqK

— West Ham United Women (@westhamwomen) January 28, 2021

The signing of Brynjarsdóttir likely stems from the club’s need to replace Cho So-hyun, who is now on loan at Tottenham Hotspur until the end of June. While Cho is only on loan at Tottenham for now, the Spurs have the option to make the loan permanent at the end of the season.

✍️ We are delighted to announce the signing of Cho So-hyun.

The South Korean captain will wear the number 11 shirt. #WelcomeCho ⚪ #COYS

— Tottenham Hotspur Women (@SpursWomen) January 29, 2021

Both Cho and Brynjarsdóttir are relatively similar players—both play quite deep as midfielders, and they are usually situated right in front of the defensive line. However, they aren’t pure defensive midfielders; instead, they actively act as playmakers for their sides.

West Ham fans should also know that Brynjarsdóttir has been a fan of the club since she was a young girl, and she is essentially one of their own. It’ll be interesting to see how Brynjarsdóttir adapts to her first spell in England, and where she can help take West Ham alongside their new coach, Olli Harder.

 

TRANSFERS HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY THAN USUAL

With about four months left in the season, it remains to be seen how all of these signings will make an impact on their new teams. But with depth becoming an issue as clubs try to pack their schedules with make-up games, there will be opportunities for these players to step in and leave a mark on the ongoing title race.

The NWSL has made a decision, as the league officially moves forward with its new "High Impact Player" rule despite stated opposition from the players union.

Announced last week, the rule change allows clubs to exceed to the NWSL salary cap by up to $1 million to attract or retain players that meet one of eight qualifying metrics set by the league.

Those metrics include major media award rankings like the 30-player Ballon d'Or shortlist and ESPN FC's Top 50 Football Players, as well as marketing power, top USWNT minutes, and end-of-year NWSL awards.

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Developed with Washington Spirit superstar — and current free agent — Trinity Rodman and her potential contract in mind, the "High Impact Player" rule will not go into effect until July 1st, 2026.

Meanwhile, the NWSLPA has spoken out against the mechanism, proposing instead to up the salary cap by $1 million without league-imposed spending regulations.

"Under federal labor law, changes to compensation under the salary cap are a mandatory subject of bargaining — not a matter of unilateral discretion," the union wrote on Wednesday.

Additionally, per The Athletic, NWSLPA executive director Meghann Burke expressed concerns that the rule ties top athlete pay, in part, to player valuations in third party publications — a move that externally defines who a club can consider "high impact."

Led by six Kansas City athletes and five from Gotham FC, just 27 current NWSL players across 10 of the 16 clubs in the expanded 2026 season meet the new HIP qualifying criteria — though all teams could use the mechanism to attract a new athlete to the league.

In a growing global market, the NWSL could be falling into a trap of half-measures, as the union pushes back with league parity potentially on the line.

The Kansas City Current have apparently found a new manager, with ESPN reporting last week that the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners will bring on former MLS head coach Chris Armas to lead the team in 2026.

Armas built his career in the MLS, coaching the New York Red Bulls from 2018 to 2020 before taking over Toronto FC in 2021, then spending the last three years heading up the Colorado Rapids.

The ex-USMNT player also has experience in the women's game at the college level, leading the Division II Adelphi University women's soccer team from 2011 to 2014.

Despite their many victories in 2025, the Current found themselves without a coach after third-year boss Vlatko Andonovski moved into a sporting director role with the club in November.

ESPN reported that Kansas City chose Armas over internal candidates like assistants Milan Ivanovic and ex-Angel City and Gotham manager Freya Coombe.

"I want my staff and people I've worked with to become successful coaches. These are things I'm very passionate about and want to be able to execute," Andonovski told ESPN last month.

Armas would be the first former MLS coach to make the leap to the NWSL, with the winds of change in Kansas City blowing stronger than anticipated.

With the 2026 Winter Olympics fast approaching, US skiing icon Mikaela Shiffrin has started the 2025/26 FIS World Cup cycle in top form — particularly in her favored slalom event.

Closing out last season with a victory, Shiffrin is currently on a multi-event winning streak, earning her sixth straight slalom title in Semmering, Austria, on Sunday.

"It was a really hard day today, tough conditions, a really big fight, and the pressure's on… I did my best, best possible run," Shiffrin said afterwards.

Momentum is on her side, with Shiffrin set to enter the 2026 Winter Games in Italy as the winningest skier in World Cup history, surpassing Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark's 86 wins in March 2023 and becoming the first skier to reach 100 World Cup victories earlier this year.

Sunday's race marked the 30-year-old's 106th career World Cup title, with Shiffrin looking to add to her ever-growing historic record with three more slalom events scheduled before the Olympic women's Alpine skiing events kick off on February 8th.

The 2014 Olympic slalom champion and 2018 Winter Games giant slalom gold medalist is aiming to return to the podium after failing to medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Shiffrin will likely hit the slopes again next weekend, when the women's FIS World Cup lands in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, for a giant slalom and slalom competition.

South Carolina basketball is stocking up, as top-ranked high school senior Jerzy Robinson announced her commitment to join the head coach Dawn Staley and the No. 3 Gamecocks last Tuesday.

"I chose South Carolina because I had a sense of peace when it came down to the decision for me," Robinson told ESPN. "When I visited South Carolina, I was already home. I was already valued there.... I felt like this was where I needed to be for the next four years."

A 6-foot-2 guard who averaged 27 points and 10.2 rebounds in her junior season at Los Angeles's Sierra Canyon High School, Robinson is now the highest-ranked Class of 2026 recruit heading to South Carolina — as well as the final Top 5 player to make a college decision after also visiting No. 1 UConn and No. 5 LSU.

Robinson first made a name for herself at the youth level, winning three gold medals and the 2025 U-19 FIBA World Cup with Team USA.

The young talent also inked one of the first-ever shoe sponsorships for a high school player, signing an NIL deal with Nike in November 2024.

"Basketball has always been my love and my passion," she said. "To see it pay off and the hard work and the hours pay off, in the sense of I get to play for one of the best universities in the country, I just have so much gratitude."