Dan Bardell: Rachel Daly has no reason to leave Aston Villa Women this summer due to club’s recent success
After tearing apart defences all season long in the Women’s Super League, Aston Villa striker Rachel Daly has quickly become one of the most in-demand strikers in Europe.
The 31-year-old has been in scintillating form since moving to Aston Villa from Houston Dash last summer, scoring 17 goals in 20 games so far this term.
After playing the majority of her football for the Lionesses as a left-back – including the successful Euro 2022 campaign – Daly has made the switch to centre-forward look like a mere formality under Carla Ward this season.
However, with success comes the risk that Villa could lose Daly to one of the WSL’s big-hitters come to the summer transfer window.
Arsenal’s world record January deadline day bid for Manchester United striker Alessia Russo, which was eventually turned down, shows Jonas Eidevall’s side are in the market for a striker, and they aren’t afraid to dig deep into their purse in their pursuits.
However, when speaking exclusively to Villa News, The Athletic’s Dan Bardell admitted that he would be surprised if Daly left the West Midlands club at the end of the season, considering the club’s rapid progression under the guidance of Ward this season.
“I think Villa Women are in a great place right now,” he said. “They’ve got a great set-up now and I think they’re all singing from the same hymn sheet.
“Every player, every member of staff seems really really happy and Carla Ward has harnessed something really special there.
“I don’t think anyone would want to leave that set-up at the moment. Villa are fifth, they’re winning games, they have an outside chance of getting European football and they have an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City coming up.
“It seems like a great place to be playing your football, and Villa have invested money in the team, so in terms of wages, I don’t think they will be out-bid by these bigger clubs.
“While the club are building in the way they are, there is no reason for the likes of Daly to leave the club in the summer.”
Although speculation may arrive about Daly’s future at the season’s end, Villa still have a lot to play for in the coming months.
A Women’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City is on the horizon, while the hopes of securing a top-five finish in the WSL are very much a possibility after an unbeaten run of five games since the mid-season break.
Daly and the goals she provides are central to Aston Villa’s success in both competitions, and if the former Houston Dash player continues to find the back of the net on a weekly basis, a chance of some historic silverware in the FA Cup is not off the table.
In other Aston Villa news, the club has been tipped to sign a new striker to aid their bid to return to European football.