LUCY STANIFORTH has signed a new contract with Aston Villa, extending his WSL spell until the summer of 2025.
The midfielder’s new contract follows the Villans’ swoop for England star Katie Robinson, with the striker joining the club yesterday as a free agent.
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Staniforth, 31, has made 32 appearances for Villa since sealing the move in January last year after leaving Manchester United.
The York-born WSL veteran, who began her senior club career with Sunderland in 2008, helped her side achieve their best-ever league result in the 2022-23 campaign.
Back then, the Villans achieved fifth place under former manager Carla Ward, with the club beating Arsenal 2-0 away from home on the final day of that season.
Their other wins in that period include a 6-2 defeat of rivals Brighton in February last year.
And Staniforth was among the scorers that day.
However, in January this year, the player suffered a season-ending ankle injury ahead of the team’s Conti Cup clash with Sunderland.
This led to her undergoing surgery.
Lee Billiard, Villa’s head of women’s football, said: “We all missed Lucy’s presence during the final months of last season.
“We are looking forward to her having a fit and healthy back for the next campaign.
“She has so much experience, technical skill and knowledge of the game that she rubs off on those around her.”
“Lucy is a good leader on the field and an experienced game head.”
Staniforth’s contract extension comes amid a busy transfer period for Villa, with 22-year-old Spanish left-back Paula Tomás joining from Levante earlier this month.
The defender’s signing on a two-year deal follows the Midlands side’s loan move for Jill Bajings.
The 23-year-old Dutch midfielder, who has eight caps for the senior team, joined from Bayern Munich.
Among the big names to have left Villa for pastures new this summer is Alisha Lehmann.
The Swiss striker has sealed a high-profile move to the Italian giants, with her boyfriend Douglas Luiz joining the Serie A men’s team.
However, Villa moved quickly to replace Lehmann, signing Seagulls striker Lioness Robinson.
The 21-year-old former Albion player was part of the England squad that reached last summer’s Women’s World Cup final in Australia, where they were beaten 1-0 by Spain.
Last season, Villa recovered to finish seventh in the WSL after a difficult start to last season’s main campaign, with the team losing five games in a row between last October and November.
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The team is aiming to return to the top six under new coach Robert de Pauw.
The 42-year-old Dutch-born head coach joined Villa at the end of June on a three-year contract.
Before that, De Pauw led Bayer Leverkusen to fifth place in Germany’s women’s top flight in 2023 and sixth place at the end of last season.
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