Sports Interactive has included the women’s game after its tireless effort of collating a comprehensive database
W
ithin minutes I am in the deep end as the Arsenal manager before the start of the 2025-26 season, sizing up a transfer budget that does not match my ambitions for the club. I am immediately at odds with the board when I launch a rogue bid to sign Aitana Bonmatí, which is immediately rejected.
I manage to recruit Alex Greenwood to shore things up in the wake of Leah Williamson’s injury and my late bid for Patri Guijarro, who wants to be part of my project, falls through at the last minute with the budget once again the problem. I demand answers from the board as to why they will not release more funds when the player-in-question wants to join, pointing out that our scouting report says she’s a necessary replacement for Lia Wälti.
Despite the off-pitch drama that has almost certainly put me in the line of fire within days of my unveiling, we win our opening game 5-0, a Chloe Kelly hat-trick and Emily Fox wonder-goal contributing, and Greenwood makes a solid first impression on her debut. All in all, Football Manager 26 is fun, and being able to play as the women’s team I grew up supporting and with the players I have in-depth knowledge of on the back of covering them week-in week-out is really cool, albeit a little bit of a busman’s holiday.
