The Women’s Super League returns this coming weekend.The new season kicks off on Friday with London City Lionesses hosting Manchester United. Champions Manchester City are back in action on Sunday against Birmingham.But who has come in this summer? Below, we pick out seven new signings to watch out for this season.Giulia Dragoni, ChelseaSince Dragoni’s debut for Inter Milan at the age of 16, Chelsea have kept a keen eye on the Italy midfielder. Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria (a points-based visa system administered by the FA for overseas players) and post-Brexit regulations mean Chelsea, like all English clubs, cannot sign foreign players under the age of 18. But even as Dragoni signed for Barcelona in 2023, aged 17, Chelsea still hoped to one day secure the midfielder’s signature.The reasoning is simple, according to sources at Chelsea and close to the player. Dragoni, says one source, could become one of the best midfielders in the world.Operating generally as a No 8, Dragoni has been praised for her pressing intensity and her ability to move and carry the ball between lines. The 19-year-old’s football IQ is another point of praise, honed by her time at Barcelona, with her capable of operating comfortably in the No 10 position or out wide.Chelsea have high hopes for Giulia Dragoni (Phil Walter/Getty Images)A real strength is her press resistance and ability to progress the ball in tight spaces, beat defenders 1v1 and work quickly in short distances, qualities all necessary when faced with the low blocks of WSL sides. While on loan at Serie A side Roma last season, she scored eight goals and provided four assists across 29 appearances.Dragoni has made more than 100 senior appearances for club and country, developing a maturity that belies her years, but those at Chelsea know that a growing period will be necessary as Dragoni adapts to the WSL.Chelsea believe Dragoni has demonstrated an ability to push through challenges, including missing the 2025 European Championships due to injury, that prove she can adapt to the rigours of the WSL. Dragoni was the first foreign female player to live and train at La Masia. In 2024, she became the first player to win the Women’s Champions League, doing so with Barcelona, while also claiming the Italian Golden Girl award, honouring the best Italian player under 21 years old.Manaka Matsukubo, ChelseaIf you haven’t been watching Matsukubo, this is your notice to start doing so. The 2025 NWSL midfielder of the year is now plying her trade in the WSL with Chelsea, and if the seven-time champions are to return to the top of England, Matsukubo will play a role in that recovery.But for all the talk of the 22-year-old Japan international’s goalscoring ability – she scored 11, the most of any midfielder, during the last NWSL season – it’s her intelligence on and off the ball that those within the game admire most.(Harriet Lander – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)At just under 5ft 1in, cunning has been a necessary part of Matsukubo’s game since she first joined her brother’s all-boys training session and scored her first goal. In the NWSL, shrewdness and intelligence became a calling card, from finding ways to win physical battles to being able to operate and read the game as a No 10 and a central striker. That records have fallen regularly — such as being the youngest player in NWSL history to score a hat-trick — is not a matter of coincidence but curation.It is one of the reasons Chelsea had to fight hard for her signature, fending off offers from other Champions League clubs and even within the NWSL, according to multiple sources close to the player, but the opportunity to develop under head coach Sonia Bompastor was the clincher.