Man City miss out on Benítez and Vignola in deadline scramble

Manchester City Women failed to land the reinforcements they targeted on Women’s Super League transfer deadline day, despite multiple late pushes for attacking-midfield options, The Guardian reports.

Atlético Madrid rejected City’s bid for Fiamma Benítez—the paper says the offer was for more than £500,000. Atlético, as described by The Guardian, see Benítez as a key player and a future Spain star, and were not willing to sell. The article also notes her role in Spain’s youth successes, winning the Under-19 Euros and Under-20 Women’s World Cup, and contributing to the 2024 Women’s Nations League triumph.

Late bids, no outcome

The scramble continued with Ornella Vignola. According to The Guardian, Everton turned down an offer of around £400,000 for the Spain international, who can play in midfield or on the wing. Everton’s reluctance was partly about the difficulty of securing a suitable replacement on time, but also due to how important Vignola is to Scott Phelan’s side.

The timing of these attempts was shaped by reports that City’s Vivianne Miedema could miss at least the rest of 2026 with a knee injury, leaving the club looking for depth.

One deal done anyway

The Guardian adds that City also tried for Jennifer Echegini from Paris Saint-Germain, but multiple sources told the outlet that PSG were not prepared to sell. The paper notes PSG had agreed to let defender Élisa De Almeida join Arsenal for just over £500,000, but were unwilling to lose two key players in a single day.

While City left Thursday still searching for a midfielder, they did complete one deadline-day move: the loan signing of England goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse from Orlando Pride until the end of January. The Guardian frames the summer as positive overall, highlighting the retention of WSL Golden Boot winner Khadija Shaw on a lucrative new contract and next Sunday’s home opener for the title defence against promoted Birmingham City.