Club: Crystal Palace
Position: Midfield
Price: £7m
Last Season Points: 113
One of a few players who will make the step up to the top division from BWSL 2 this season is Lexi Lloyd-Smith, who after a fine season with Bristol City in the second division, has joined BWSL outfit Crystal Palace.
Fantasy players looking for an up-and-comer to bolster their attacking options should look no further.
Top-level scorer in the making
Having started out with Arsenal’s academy, Lexi Lloyd-Smith spent time at both Chelsea and Charlton, before a brief stint in the US, where she joined forces with top-tier college team South Alabama Jaguars, for whom she scored three goals.
Returning from America, Lloyd-Smith would become a regular player for Southampton in BWSL 2, where she didn’t quite show off her full goal-scoring flair, but did prove to be a useful player in terms of hold-up and link-up play, while her off-the-ball movement also caught the eye.
Having shown clear promise on the south coast, especially when scoring an FA Cup goal against Manchester United, Lloyd-Smith joined Bristol City, where she really began shifting through the gears, proving that she absolutely has what it takes to not only occupy defenders and bring others into play, but to score regular goals.
At 23, Lexi Lloyd-Smith has hit form at just the right time, showing herself to be a serious scorer in the making. She now has the opportunity to show top-level fans what she’s made of.
Enters BWSL after a strong BWSL 2 season
Lexi Lloyd-Smith joins Crystal Palace ahead of the 2026/27 Barclays Women’s Super League season following a fine 2025/26 effort in BWSL 2, during which the forward became a regular thorn in the side of opposition defences, scoring two goals in the first three games, before going to score 11 goals in 19 appearances, finishing on a real high by smashing in a hat-trick against Sheffield United, which saw her end the campaign as the BWSL 2 top scorer.
It wasn’t just the regularity with which she both threatened and scored goals that stood out, but also the variety of goals scored. Lexi Lloyd-Smith is far from a poacher, and she’s far from one-dimensional, scoring goals with both feet, including first-time shots at close range, one-vs-one’s after running in behind, as well as fine strikes from outside the box. Moreover, as a player who developed as a winger in her younger days, Lloyd-Smith is capable of drifting out wide and beating players, before laying the ball on for her colleagues. This variation likely played a huge part in Crystal Palace’s decision to secure her services.
A strong alternative pick for those wanting to go against the crowd
Lexi Lloyd-Smith hasn’t had the smoothest path to the top, and she’s certainly had to deal with her share of setbacks, first failing to break into the first team at Charlton, before struggling to adapt to life playing NCAA Division 1 soccer in American back in 2021.
Determined and defiant, Lloyd-Smith hasn’t let those disappointments get in her way, showing bags of character to make her mark at Southampton, before becoming a key player for a Bristol City team that pushed for promotion last term.
Not only does the 23-year-old have all the technical and physical attributes to succeed as a forward in BWSL, but she also has the mental strength having crossed plenty of hurdles to get to this level, so she’s unlikely to suffer with stagefright, and that should be music to the ears of Fantasy players looking to select a high-quality, versatile forward who won't break the bank. Get in now, though, as this rapidly improving player may not be so affordable in seasons to come.
