Sophie Roman Haug the ‘final piece’ of Liverpool puzzle as Matt Beard outlines WSL ambition

Liverpool boss Matt Beard believes the signing of Norway striker Sophie Roman Haug, who was brought in for a club record fee for a women's player towards the end of the summer window, is the final piece of the puzzle as they look to kick on this season.

The 2022/23 campaign was the Reds' first back in the top flight following their promotion from the Championship. They finished an impressive season in seventh, just seven points behind Merseyside rivals Everton in sixth.

Liverpool's long-term aim is to become a leading force in the women's game once again, after securing back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. Progress every year will be key and the acquisition of one of Europe's most promising young talents certainly places them in a strong position to kick on this term.

“We want to improve on last year,” the Liverpool manager told the media ahead of the new season. “We want to break into that top five if we can. We weren’t a million miles away from Everton who finished sixth.

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“The final piece of the jigsaw puzzle was Sophie Roman Haug, which is a great signing for us. It was a club record fee and I never really spend money! We did our homework.

“The girl can score goals. Wow, she can score goals. Watching her for the national team and for her former club Roma, she can score all types of goals. We’re really excited but she’s only 24 and she’s coming into the toughest league in the world.

“We had a five-year plan when I came in and we are three years into that. We’re now looking at another five-year plan so we make sure we keep progressing. All the conversations in the