Beata Olsson: Proof That Quality Can Beat Quantity

The ultimate deadline day signing?

Deadline day signings can often be last-minute gambles from a club, but Liverpool knew they were getting a gem when they signed Beata Olsson on the last day of the summer 2025 transfer window.

Two months prior, Liverpool were part of the world’s first £1m transfer for a women’s footballer; Olivia Smith left the club to sign for Arsenal. Smith scored 7 (32%) of Liverpool’s 22 league goals in the 2024/25 season. That’s a lot of goals to lose from the squad, so Liverpool were looking to recruit a new forward who could hit the ground running and contribute in front of goal. In 2025, Olsson had scored 11 goals in 17 appearances for Kristianstad in her homeland, evidence that she could score goals in a competitive league.

Under Liverpool’s new Head Coach, Gareth Taylor, Beata Olsson has been an integral part of their strikeforce. She has played 991 minutes in 14 (11 starts, 3 sub apps) of Liverpool’s 20 BWSL matches so far this season, a total that would likely have been higher had she not missed games due to injury. Despite limited minutes, she has still managed to score 6 BWSL goals, joint 10th-most in the league and 2nd-most in the bottom half of the table. This equates to 0.54 per 90, the 6th best in the league.

Unlike some forwards, Olsson hasn’t been blessed with many shooting opportunities. In fact, she has only had 16 shots this season, which ranks her 58th in the league. What sets Olsson apart is how clinical she is. Her 6 goals are a whopping 68% above her xG of just 3.58, meaning a difference of +2.42. This is a stark contrast to the rest of the Liverpool squad, who (excluding own goals) have scored a combined 12 goals from 15.13 xG, a difference of -3.13. Olsson has only had 9.6% of Liverpool’s shots this season, but has scored 30% of their goals (excluding own goals).

Another metric to quantify finishing ability is shot conversion. If we look at all players with at least five BWSL goals this season, we can see that Olsson is far ahead of the pack in terms of shot conversion at 38%, with Manchester City’s Kerolin the only other player to reach 30%. For reference, 40% is the highest conversion rate among all players in the league who have taken at least 3 shots this season.

While Beata Olsson is evidently a fantastic finisher, that is not all there is to her game. So far this season, she has had 3 carries that have ended in a goal, a figure which only Aston Villa’s Kirsty Hanson (6) can better. Liverpool as a team have only had 6 instances of a carry that ends in a goal this season, so Olsson accounts for 50% of these.

The Swede has also shown that she can create decisive moments, with two league assists this season. These were both incredibly important. One was for Ceri Holland’s winner for their 3-2 win in the Merseyside derby last time out. The other was for Mia Enderby’s goal away at West Ham, a match in which Olsson would also score Liverpool’s other goal to earn a 2-2 draw against rivals for the relegation playoff.

For a team that struggles to create, Beata Olsson has solved Liverpool’s hardest problem, turning chances into goals. It’s safe to say that Liverpool would be having a very different season if it weren’t for Beata Olsson. Without Olsson’s six goals and two assists, Liverpool would be five points worse off, and other bottom-half teams like Everton and West Ham would not have dropped points against Gareth Taylor’s side.

As the summer approaches, Olsson will no doubt be a hot property, and Liverpool will be facing enquiries about her future. However, with Liverpool giving Gareth Taylor a three-year deal in the summer, it seems that the Merseyside club are looking to build something more long-term. If Liverpool are to climb the table, they won’t just need to keep Olsson but look to add more players of similar quality to the squad.

Word credit: Sam Biccarino