5 CanWNT players who could be on the move this summer
With Casey Stoney now approaching the end of her first six months on the job, she’s made it clear - she wants to improve the depth of this program going forward.
As a result, she hasn’t been shy in calling in new faces, allowing her to assess several lesser known players who could play a bigger role in this Canadian team going forward.
Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see if that call to action pushes some players as they approach the start of the summer window. Knowing that Stoney is looking to drive this team to a new level, improving the overall competition throughout the squad and deeper down the depth chart, that could lead some players to challenge themselves at new clubs as they try and improve their standing in Stoney’s eyes.
Already, one key Canadian star has made a big move this summer, and if the rumour mill is to be believed, several others could still join her, setting the table for what could be an exciting couple of months on that front.
With that in mind, here are 5 CanWNT players who could join new clubs this summer.
Olivia Smith:
It’s wild to think that Smith could already be on the move after joining Liverpool from Sporting CP last summer, but that shows how big of an impact she had in her first season with the club. Having joined for a club record transfer fee, the 20-year-old scored nine goals, including seven in the WSL, leading her team in that category.
Along with some big improvements in her defensive game, it was a successful season for Smith, one that has attracted interest from some big clubs, including Lyon and Chelsea, as well as some other WSL clubs.
LIGHTNING FAST FROM OLIVIA SMITH ⚡️
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) April 19, 2025
A beautiful touch and finish from the Canadian!#BarclaysWSL @LiverpoolFCW pic.twitter.com/sZzFMT3EuX
Naturally, Liverpool will be reluctant to sell her, given her importance to their team and that they have her under contract, but they’ll be tempted by a big fee, one that is close to the record fee Chelsea spent on Naomi Girmi earlier this year. Given Smith’s age, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lyon or Chelsea be willing to step up and do that, and there are big teams around Europe who could be in the same boat, such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich and others, so this is a story to monitor.
Ashley Lawrence:
Lawrence remains a key fixture at Chelsea, making 30 appearances for a second straight season, but it’s hard to know how they view the 29-year-old long-term, despite her scoring two goals and adding five assists in 2024-2025, which is her second-best season in terms of goal contributions, only behind a two goal, seven assist campaign with PSG in 2021-2022.
Given that she didn’t feature much in Chelsea’s biggest games of 2024-2025, playing just 45 minutes across both legs of their Champions League semi-final vs. Barcelona, and no minutes in either of their League Cup or FA Cup final victories, that’ll be a worry for Lawrence.
💪 Chelsea's persistance sees them turn it around, as Ashley Lawrence rattles the net!
— DAZN Women's Football (@DAZNWFootball) November 13, 2024
Watch live for free on DAZN ▶️ https://t.co/dIfKpURfZv #UWCLonDAZN #UWCL pic.twitter.com/tq391PZkeO
Her contract is up in 2026, so she’ll have a big decision to make on her future sooner rather than later, as she’ll feel she still has plenty to contribute at a top club, be it Chelsea or somewhere else in Europe- certainly, one one has to imagine there’d be plenty of top teams in Spain, Germany, France and England lining up to sign her if she was put up for sale.
Jade Rose:
After a four-year collegiate career at Harvard, Jade Rose will make the jump to the professional ranks this year, where she’ll be one of the hottest commodities to come out of the NCAA in recent years.
Given that she’s already become a key starter for Canada, appearing in last year’s Olympics and not looking out of place in matchups against some of the top players of the world, the 22-year-old centre back will be expected to attract some big suitors, as she has the profile to thrive at the highest level. Now, the big question will be if she feels that’s in the NWSL or Europe, but either way, there will be plenty of good offers on the table for her to consider as a free agent.
Of those options, one has to imagine she would thrive in the WSL, for example, where any of the top teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Manchester City could make sense for her to join, and the same goes for other top European teams such as Barcelona, Lyon and others. On the flipside, keep an eye on the NWSL - with there being no more draft for top college players, Rose also has the freedom to explore her options there, and could yield offers from top teams like the KC Current, San Diego Wave (who she’s trained with in the past) and Washington Spirit, for example.
Safe to say, she’ll be a coveted player - now, it’ll be up for her to find which club will push her to that next level as she begins her professional journey. 
Clarissa Larisey:
Months removed from a big transfer, could Larisey be on the move again? Having joined WSL side Crystal Palace in the winter, Larisey made 11 appearances, but the club was relegated from the top flight.
Because of that, it’s hard to imagine she’ll stick around to play in England’s second tier even if she’s under contract for two more years, having already proven that she can play at a high level in her two seasons with BK Häcken, which earned her that move to England.
Now, it’ll be intriguing to see if Palace fields offers for her - could a move to North America be in the cards, either with an NWSL team or NSL team (what a signing she’d be for hometown team Ottawa Rapid), or will she stick in Europe after stints in Iceland, Scotland, Sweden and now England?
Crystal Palace have announced the signing of Canada international Clarissa Larisey on a contract until 2027 📝 pic.twitter.com/vEZIIfiin3
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) January 18, 2025
For what it’s worth, fellow Canadian Sarah Stratigakis was in a similar situation last summer, as she joined WSL side Bristol City in January of 2024 after a stint in Sweden, but her new side was relegated just months later. As a result, she then joined French top-flight side Saint-Étienne last summer despite being under contract with Bristol for one more year, so it shows that a move to another top European league could be in the cards for Larisey, be it within England or somewhere else like France, Germany, Spain or Italy.
Deanne Rose:
It’s been a tough couple of seasons for Deanne Rose, who seamlessly made the jump from the NCAA to the WSL with Reading in 2021-2022, scoring five goals and adding four assists in her debut season.
At the beginning of 2022-2023, however, she tore her Achilles, and since then, she’s struggled to refind her form, making just three more appearances for Reading before joining Leicester City in 2023, where she’s scored just three goals and added three assists in 37 appearances across two seasons with the club. Not only that, but she’s only had 12 starts for Leicester - she had 22 starts in 2021-2022 alone with Reading.
Deanne Rose bags her first goal for @LCFC_Women 🦊#AdobeWomensFACup pic.twitter.com/XpmPSwR4ys
— Adobe Women's FA Cup (@AdobeWFACup) January 14, 2024
Because of that, it’ll be fascinating to see where she ends up, as her contract is up this summer. In need of a significant confidence boost as she looks to return to her pre-injury form, she’ll look to find the right club to do that - a move to the NWSL seems to make most sense on that front, having once been a high-profile draft pick in that league. Otherwise, she might feel a move elsewhere in Europe could make sense - for example, a move to Italy could be a fun change, as she’d fit nicely at a Serie A club.
Vanessa Gilles:
Of course, this transfer has already been made, so this is a bonus sixth entry as Gilles otherwise would’ve headlined this list, but it’s still an important move to highlight for those who may have missed it.
After a successful three-year loan stint with Lyon, it was expected that Gilles would move on this summer, as she wasn’t expected to stick around at parent club Angel City given the geopolitical situation in the United States.
And in Bayern, she’s found an excellent new home, joining the German giants on a three-year deal. Having won three straight Bundesliga’s, Bayern now has their sights on continental glory - they want to win the Champions League after failing to get past the quarter-finals in three of the past four editions (and in the fourth, they fell in the group stage).
Welcome to the #FCBayern family, Vanessa!
— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) May 20, 2025
FC Bayern Women have completed the signing of Canadian centre-back Vanessa Gilles ✍️
More info ➡️ https://t.co/Kd8eSR5eW9#FCBFrauen #MiaSanMia #ServusVanessa pic.twitter.com/Q4rAEe3vuQ
After making 80 appearances for Lyon, scoring 20 goals and adding seven assists while putting in a top defensive shift, Gilles knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and will also be hungry to win a Champions League after falling in the 2024 final to Barcelona, the closest she got to continental glory while with Lyon.
