When Sarina Wiegman took over as England manager in September 2021, she declared she had “come to bring the next level.” Five years later — with three Women’s European Championships to her name and a fresh contract extension through Euro 2029 — the Dutchwoman now faces what may be her toughest assignment yet: rebuilding her all-conquering Lionesses.
Sarina Wiegman (Credits: BBC Sport)
Wiegman has won the past three Euros — with the Netherlands in 2017, and with England in 2022 and 2025 — adding another World Cup final silver medal along the way. Her success detonated the popularity of women’s football in England, lifting it to previously unthinkable heights. But as she puts pen to paper on a new deal, the foundations of the golden era are beginning to show their age.
The Core Is Growing Old Together
England’s great teams were built around a core of outstanding players from the same generation — and that core is now creaking. Seven of the side that started against world champions Spain in June also played in the Euro 2022 final against Germany, and the 4-0 drubbing in Mallorca laid bare how far England must travel to catch the world’s best.
By Euro 2029, defensive stalwarts Lucy Bronze and Alex Greenwood will be 37 and 36 respectively, while Leah Williamson and Keira Walsh will be 32. Alessia Russo and Georgia Stanway will both have crossed 30 — far from finished, but a consideration nonetheless.
Evolution, Not Stagnation
Record goalscorer Ellen White believes the rebuild can’t wait: “We have to continue the evolution of the Lionesses. We can’t stay stagnant or keep trying to win in the same ways all the time.”
Wiegman hasn’t been idle. She has handed debuts to 24 players during her reign, though only Lauren James, Hannah Hampton and Lucia Kendall have become established starters. Recent camps offered hints of the next wave: 23-year-old Laura Blindkilde Brown impressed in Crete, 20-year-old Chelsea academy graduate Lexi Potter shone in midfield, while Freya Godfrey, 21, and 18-year-old Erica Meg Parkinson earned their first caps.
Former goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis praised Wiegman’s fearlessness: “She’s not afraid of bringing in players who have never been capped before.” Former captain Steph Houghton added: “She is seeing the progress of young players coming through to press those who have been in the squad for a long time.”
The wider challenge is structural: the number of homegrown starters in the Women’s Super League has been dropping over the past four campaigns as the league’s prestige draws more foreign stars. FA chief football officer Dan Ashworth credited Wiegman with a “golden age for women’s football in this country” — prolonging it will mean finding fruit in increasingly arid ground.
Also Read: England Boss Sarina Wiegman Signs Two-Year Contract Extension Through Euro 2029
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
