By Catherine MacKenzie
Above: The Lionesses in a recent game. Photo: Shell Lawrence for Impetus.
Sarina Wiegman announced her squad for this summer’s Euros from St.George’s Park this afternoon.
This summer, England’s Lionesses will be aiming to defend their Euros title. They were champions on home soil in 2022, which was followed up by a first world cup final appearance in 2023.
The squad heading to Switzerland this summer will look very different to the squads of these tournaments. England have been rocked by a series of high profile retirements: first Mary Earps, then Fran Kirby, followed by Millie Bright withdrawing due to exhaustion after playing in four different tournaments for Chelsea.
Her withdrawal points to the larger conversations around scheduling – with players expected to handle increasing loads whilst also adapting to the pressures that come from the growth of the women’s game.
There is also a question around why players are choosing to retire so early – Earps and Kirby are both in their early 30s, and whilst the circumstances underlying their retirements will inevitably differ, it is a striking pattern.
Impetus has also discussed players – though not national team – who are choosing to retire even earlier, particularly throughout Europe. For example, players in the Dutch league are retiring as young as 21.
This leaves the England squad looking very different compared to previous tournaments. In goal, there is a lack of experience – though Hannah Hampton is established as Chelsea’s no.1, she only has 14 senior caps, and backups Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse are both uncapped.
The loss of Kirby is not as unexpected – the midfielder only chose to retire after being informed that she would be a reserve player in case of injury.
There is a wealth of young competition in her role – Grace Clinton and Jess Park are both solid attacking midfield options, alongside the more experienced Ella Toone.
Bright’s absence is arguably the most impactful. The Chelsea stalwart captained England at the 2023 World Cup and would have been expected to start every game. In her absence, captain Leah Williamson will be expected to partner Alex Greenwood at centre-back, unless she is preferred at left-back, in which case Lotte Wubben-Moy would likely partner Williamson.
England are blessed with a wealth of talented defenders – it is the leadership at the back that has taken a major blow. Hampton is not known for being vocal, and she will have to manage a back line of vastly more experience.
It will be up to Williamson and Greenwood to lead the team from the back – which is a lot of pressure for them to handle.
It is certainly a new-look England that are heading to Switzerland this summer; ironic considering the narrative that Sarina Wiegman struggles to trust young players.
The full squad is presented below:
Goalkeepers
Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse
Defenders
Leah Williamson, Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Lucy Bronze, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan
Midfielders
Grace Clinton, Jess Park, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh
Forwards
Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beever-Jones, Michelle Agyemang, Alessia Russo
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