Khadija Shaw, Alessia Russo & GOAL’s 2025-26 Women’s Super League Team of the Season
No player was going to unseat the No.9 in GOAL‘s best XI, but Alessia Russo still deserves a place in this team. Fortunately, then, the England international was used as both a striker and a No.10 by Arsenal this past season, so it is in the latter role that she slides into this line-up.
Regardless of her position, the 27-year-old was impressively effective for the Gunners this year. A return of 13 goals and six assists combined for a tally of direct goal involvements only bettered by Shaw, with the way Russo adapted to that deeper position, to play off Stina Blackstenius, particularly interesting. It says a lot that the Sweden international also had her best WSL season to date.
With Blackstenius having renewed her contract, and Michelle Agyemang to be integrated into this Gunners’ side at some point in the near future, Russo’s performances playing behind the No.9 are encouraging when thinking about how this team can adapt and evolve to be a constant attacking threat in the coming years, too.
Don’t let that take away from how well she has played when leading the line, though. Russo’s finishing, penalty box instincts and ability to score a variety of goals are all areas that continue to improve, leading to this being her most prolific campaign to date.
