Khadija Shaw and Kirsty Hanson started the new Barclays Women's Super League season by doing what they had done throughout the last one. Both strikers carried a sizeable share of their respective team’s goalscoring load and now already have four goals between them.
Hanson struck twice on her Tottenham debut in a 3-1 win over West Ham United, while Shaw also scored a brace as champions Manchester City beat Birmingham City by the same scoreline.
However, the implications of these performances differed after the summer changes. City retained a striker who scored around a third of their league goals last term and tied her down until 2030.
Aston Villa, on the other hand, lost the player responsible for almost 43 per cent of theirs. Likewise, the following ranking divides each leading league scorer's total by their club's overall tally.
Opposition own goals remain in the team total, while tied leaders are shown separately. The promoted clubs use last season's BWSL2 figures, so their numbers are not a perfect top-flight comparison.
Aston Villa face the clearest goalscoring hole
Hanson's 12 goals made her the third-highest scorer in the BWSL last season. More importantly for Villa, they came within a team total of only 28. Her 42.9 per cent share was comfortably the highest among the clubs competing in this season's league.
However, her permanent move to Tottenham left Villa with a clear summer problem. Spurs also signed Shekiera Martinez, who scored six of West Ham's 20 league goals and ranked third for top-scorer share.
Hanson and Martinez arrived having scored 18 league goals between them, ten more than Tottenham's own leading scorer Olivia Holdt. Hanson's opening double offered an immediate indication of how that recruitment could change Martin Ho's attack.
Villa's 1-1 draw against Chelsea, on the other hand, was encouraging, but replacing 12 goals across a full season remains a much bigger test.
Manchester City's Shaw figure needs context
Shaw's 33.9 per cent share placed Manchester City second, although their situation is less precarious than Villa’s. The Jamaica international scored 21 times within the league's most productive attack, with Vivianne Miedema contributing ten and Kerolin adding nine.
However, Kerolin has since joined Barcelona, and Miedema could miss the rest of 2026 with a knee injury. City have added Beth Mead and retained Shaw until 2030, but the supporting cast around their leading scorer has changed.
Nevertheless, Shaw’s two headers against Birmingham ensured the campaign began familiarly. She remains City's reference point, but the champions have retained her while the surrounding stars might not be as available as last season.
West Ham, Brighton and Liverpool enter different situations
West Ham lost Martinez after her six goals accounted for 30 per cent of their total. The Hammers responded by signing Kelly Gago, one of Everton's three joint-leading scorers with four goals.
The France international opened her West Ham account in a 2-1 win over London City Lionesses. Likewise, Brighton retained Kiko Seike after she scored eight of their 27 league goals. However, Dario Vidosic's late departure and Arturo Ruiz's appointment mean the structure around her has changed.
Up North, Liverpool kept Beata Olsson after her six goals represented 28.6 per cent of their output. However, their 4-0 opening win against Charlton produced three different scorers, including two goals from defender Grace Fisk, suggesting the burden may be spread more widely.
Nevertheless, Arsenal have one of the more stable top-scorer situations, with Alessia Russo remaining after supplying 24.5 per cent of their 53 goals. However, the wider squad underwent significant summer turnover.
Low shares can mean depth or a missing focal point
Chelsea and Manchester United finished at the bottom, but tied leaders explain their numbers. Sam Kerr and Alyssa Thompson scored seven each for Chelsea, while Jess Park, Melvine Malard and Elisabeth Terland shared United's lead on six.
Chelsea's 5-0 win over United has signalled a more balanced attack, with five different scorers. Yet Kerr has left Chelsea, Malard moved from United to Chelsea, and Eva Olid has taken charge at United.
In Bromley, though, London City Lionesses have made significant additions to their frontline. Freya Godfrey led them with six league goals last season, with Isobel Goodwin contributing five.
Likewise, the arrivals of Alexia Putellas and Kadidiatou Diani have transformed Eder Maestre’s options. Conclusively, a low share can show several reliable routes to goal or reveal that nobody produced an elite total, meaning it is not a complete measure of attacking strength.
Promoted clubs arrive with goals spread across their squads
Crystal Palace, Birmingham and Charlton all recorded shares below 19 per cent during their promotion campaigns. Palace have since added BWSL2 Golden Boot winner Lexi Lloyd-Smith, who scored the only goal against Everton on the opening weekend.
Last season's numbers identify Villa as the current BWSL club which depended most heavily on one scorer. However, it will be interesting to see what will happen after that scorer has already left.
Tottenham have collected the players responsible for 12 goals at Villa and six at West Ham. City kept Shaw, while the Hammers have already seen their replacement score. Likewise, while players and managers have changed, the burden has not disappeared over the summer and has instead just moved.
