An Introduction to Iman Beney
written by brigid
Fresh off from signing Jade Rose, Manchester City made another exciting move in the summer transfer window. This time it was 18-year-old Swiss youngster Iman Beney who penned a four-year deal with the Blues.
Beney joins City after a very successful season with BSC Young Boys Frauen in which she helped Young Boys in winning the league title, their first since 2011. Throughout the season, Beney appeared in 22 games and scored nine goals, and was named in the Swiss Super League Team of the Season.
Football runs in Beney’s blood. Her father was a goalkeeper who played for 20 years for clubs in Switzerland. Additionally, her aunt Noemie made 43 appearances for the Swiss National Team, and her brother Romeo is currently on loan from FC Basel in the Swiss Challenge League and has represented Switzerland at the youth levels.
Despite being only 18, Beney showcases maturity beyond her years. She rarely gets rattled or emotional, she keeps a calm and cool presence when playing. Nothing demonstrated this more than when she confidently walked up to take the fifth penalty and scored to win the league title for Young Boys for the first time in fourteen years.
When watching Beney glide across the pitch, her dynamic pace and close control stand out, but the most striking aspect of Beney’s game is her unselfishness. She is constantly looking to play the extra pass and find an open teammate. While she is a strong, confident finisher, it is fun to see her creativity and skill when passing and looking to push the attack through her teammates.
Whether it is for Young Boys or the National Team, when Beney is on the ball you know that she will make an impact. She is constantly moving on and off the ball and plays with a captivating flair. It wouldn’t be surprising to see her next season linking up with Jess Park, Lauren Hemp, or Kerolin to dance and weave past defenders and create plays.
Internationally, Beney debuted in 2023 at age 16 and has represented Switzerland twelve times. Just minutes after coming on in her debut, she collected the ball in the box, calmly pivoted, and then played a pass to Seraina Piubel for a goal. She was named in Switzerland’s squad for the 2023 World Cup, but an ACL injury saw her miss out on this tournament. Beney has since recovered from this injury and is back in the Swiss National Team for the Nations League and the upcoming Euros tournament. Listed as a forward, Beney often plays as a right-back for her home nation.
When she first joined the Swiss Senior team, Beney received praise from her teammates, including Ramona Bachman, a key veteran on the team who has been capped 153 times and scored 60 goals for Switzerland. Bachmann said about Beney, ‘She is definitely the future of the
national team. We've seen how much momentum she can bring. She has a lot of quality on the ball and is intelligent. She has the potential to have a career like mine.’
Speaking about her decision to join City, Beney said, ‘They have good ambition for next season, and, for my development, City is the best place. They are a club who like to keep possession, and I really like to have the ball, so I think it’s a good fit.’ Development was a key point that both her
and Director of Football Therese Sjorgran emphasised. Although she already has a wealth of experience at both the domestic and international levels, she is excited to keep improving, and City seems to be the best fit for her continued development.
Sjpgron spoke for all City fans when saying, ‘She’s a really exciting young talent who we believe has the potential to thrive here at City and on the world stage.’ As eyes will be on Switzerland, since they are the host nation for the 2025 Euros, certainly Beney will be a player to watch.
A Closer Look at Jade Rose, City’s First Summer Signing
written by brigid
On the first day of the summer transfer window, Manchester City signed defender Jade Rose to a contract until 2029. The 22-year-old Canadian international is one of the most exciting young talents in the game and is slated to be a key part of City’s present and future.
Rose arrives in Manchester on the heels of her four-year collegiate career at Harvard University in Boston, USA. Alongside earning a degree in Psychology, she won back-to-back Ivy League Defensive Player of the year honours, was a four-time First-Team All-Ivy League selection and earned two All-America honours. With this signing, she became the first Harvard athlete to compete in the WSL.
Manchester City Director of Football, Therese Sjogran, spoke about Rose and the impact of this move, saying, ‘Jade is a talented young player we’ve been monitoring for a while now, and we’re delighted to bring her in. She arrives here with an incredible amount of experience under her belt for club and country, and she will certainly have the opportunity to showcase her skills here at City.’
This ‘incredible amount of experience’ includes 30 appearances for Canada since making her senior debut at age 18 in 2021. The Markham, Ontario native has represented Canada at the SheBelieves Cup, the 2024 Paris Olympics, the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, and was named to the World Cup roster in 2023 but ended up withdrawing due to injury. She scored her first senior goal in 2025 in a friendly against Argentina. In 2023, Rose was named the Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year.
How will her game fit at City?
Rose is a versatile defender who can play across the backline as a centre-back and full-back. Her pace, composure, and high football IQ make her a threat on the ball as well. With City’s style of possession-based attacking football, it is easy to see Rose not only slotting into this system, but excelling in Manchester.
In an interview, Rose expressed her desire to influence the attack, saying, ‘I’m a very attack-minded centre back, I love stepping into midfield, getting the attacks starting from the back.’ She goes on to say, ‘I think the style of play that the WSL offers is something I was really attracted to. I’m someone who likes to take care of the ball, I love living on the ball.’ Clearly, Jade Rose can see herself being comfortable and finding joy in the WSL and at Manchester City.
Rose’s attacking mindset and skills were on display last September when she scored for Harvard in a matchup against University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Collecting the ball high on the right wing, Rose weaved past multiple defenders before scoring from way outside the 18 from a nearly impossible angle.
In 2022, Rose caught the attention of the wider football world after Canada’s 2-1 win against Australia in which she effectively shut down Sam Kerr. Throughout the match, her well-timed tackles, aggression, and pace held off one of the most dangerous strikers in the game from making an impact. However, it wasn’t just on the defensive end where she shined. In the 64th minute, with both sides on one goal apiece, Rose gathered the ball and dashed forward with confidence. She took a few touches before placing a perfectly weighted through ball for her teammate to slot home the winner. Overall, she performed well beyond her 19 years and showed what she was capable of against top competition.
Additionally, Rose’s performance in Canada's 1-1 draw against Spain in October 2024 demonstrated why she was so sought after following her Harvard career. Playing on the right wing of Canada’s 4-3-3 lineup, Rose came up against Athenea Del Castillo and Olga Carmona, and in a one-minute sequence against both players she made two key defensive plays. Down one goal, Spain looked to score with a long ball up to del Castillo. Rose recovered well and blocked del Castillo’s cross. Moments later, Carmona received the ball on the left, and taking advantage of her poor touch, Rose slid in for a decisive tackle, halting the Spanish attack. Moments like these illustrate Rose’s talent as well as her defensive composure and strength.
In addition to her experience against elite players on the international stage, Rose was a standout during her time with the Harvard Crimson. Rose played and started 53 matches for the Crimson, tallying four goals and eleven assists while playing a crucial role on a defensive unit that allowed the third-fewest shots on goal in the nation. With this versatility and experience alone, she will be sure to make a positive impact on the team from the jump.
Sjogran emphasised this same sentiment, stating, ‘We think she will be a great fit for our squad on and off the pitch with the people she will have around her. Jade can become an important player for City, both now and in the future.’
The reactions of City fans following this signing express their excitement to have this young talent join the squad, and from seeing how she has excelled at both the collegiate and international level so early in her career, it is easy to understand and join in on this excitement. Right now, however, no one seems more excited than Rose herself. who said ‘I’m so incredibly excited, so proud of how far I’ve come, and I just can’t wait to get started.’
Kerstin Casparij: Our Number 18
written by brigid
Hailing from Holland, Kerstin Casparij joined Manchester City in the summer of 2022. When Casparij was just 15 years old she made her senior debut in the Dutch Eredivisie for Heerenveen. Across seven seasons playing in the Eredivisie, Casparij made over 130 league appearances, playing for Heerenveen, VV Alkmaar, and Twente - where she won back-to-back league titles - before moving to Manchester City. Since joining City, Casparij has become an anchor on the right side, slotting perfectly into the possession-based play of the Blues. Her speed, passing accuracy, and workrate are crucial in both attack and defence, and have led to her becoming a consistent part of the squad. Since signing in 2022, Casparij has over 60 appearances for City across all competitions, scoring three goals and recording eight assists.
On the international level, Casparij has represented the Netherlands throughout the youth levels appearing in the Euro U-17 and U-19. She made her senior debut for the Netherlands in October 2021 against Cyprus, and since then she has earned over 40 caps for the Oranje, representing her nation in the 2022 Euros and the 2023 World Cup. Known for her clever post-match Instagram captions and funny TikTok videos, Casparij is also outspoken about mental health, LGBTQ+ rights, and other initiatives - one of the many reasons she was crowned Manchester City’s PFA Community Champion in 2024. In December 2024, Casparij signed a contract extension to stay at the club through 2027.
