
Jill Roord leaves Manchester City for FC Twente on permanent transfer
Manchester City midfielder Jill Roord has left the club to join FC Twente on a permanent deal.
The Netherlands international, 28, leaves after making 47 appearances over two seasons after joining from Wolsburg, and scoring 14 goals and adding six assists.
Her first season was cut short by an anterior cruciate ligament knee injury. She returned in time to feature 31 times in her second and final campaign.
Advertisement
The move sees Roord return to the Netherlands and to the club where she began her career, something she hopes will help her regain her 'enjoyment' and 'happiness'.
'I am very happy and proud to be returning to FC Twente,' she said. 'I grew up here and developed myself here. I played abroad for fantastic clubs for a long time and gave my all for eight years.
🗣️ pic.twitter.com/lbpEsIa1TR
— FC Twente Vrouwen (@FCTwenteVrouwen) May 24, 2025
'In recent years, I have increasingly lost my enjoyment of football and my happiness, and I can already feel that I will find that here immediately. I still have many ambitions. FC Twente has always been my club and performing with your own club is the best thing there is. I hope to play an important role in that.'
Twente were recently crowned Dutch champions for the third time in the last four seasons.
The club's technical director Rene Roord — Jill's father — is delighted to welcome her back to her first club.
'I am of course very pleased that we have brought such a top player back to FC Twente with Jill,' he added. 'For her too, the circle is now complete. I also have a double happy feeling as a father, as a family, that your daughter will play again at the club where it all started in professional football.
'It also shows the ambitions of FC Twente and the people involved, that we have realised such a top transfer.'
Manchester City finished the Women's Super League season fourth and outside the Champions League qualification places.
()
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Washington Post
29 minutes ago
- Washington Post
A penalty shattered Palestinian World Cup dreams for 2026. The squad has inspired hope
AMMAN, Jordan — An engrossing qualifying journey of 16 games and the obstacles of a war came crashing down in an instant for Oday Dabbagh and his Palestinian team. Their legacy will long continue. Players left the field in tears in the immediate aftermath at the King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman, Jordan, last Thursday after their quest for a first appearance at a World Cup evaporated on a contentious penalty awarded deep in extra time. Fans looked on, stunned.


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Meet Leeds' new sporting director, Adam Underwood: The in-house appointment that could be a masterstroke
Nick Hammond is a highly regarded executive in football. He built his reputation as Reading's director of football, then Celtic's head of football operations before Newcastle United asked him to take control of their first transfer window under Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Two years ago, when Leeds United were scrambling to organise after relegation from the top flight and director of football Victor Orta's exit, they turned to Hammond. He was a cog in a wider machine, but his two summers at Elland Road were successful and it was no surprise to see outgoing chief executive Angus Kinnear take him to Everton in the spring. Advertisement As a consultant, Hammond was being paid for his opinion as well as his ability to close transfer deals. Well aware he would not be with Leeds in the long term, Hammond told Robbie Evans — then the club's chief strategy officer but, more recently, promoted to managing director — who their next sporting director should be. According to sources with knowledge of the conversation — speaking anonymously like others in this article to protect relationships — Hammond recommended Adam Underwood. That conversation happened 12 months ago. Across the past year, the second under Paraag Marathe's chairmanship, there have been sweeping changes at Leeds at executive level. Technical director Gretar Steinsson moved upstairs to 49ers Enterprises, head of recruitment Jordan Miles also departed in November 2024, then Kinnear took Hammond to Merseyside. It became clear towards the end of last year that Hammond would begin to wind down his own duties, too. He has mentored Underwood, previously head of football operations, over the past 12 months, preparing him for the leap into the cut-throat world of transfers and recruitment. In what is a critical summer ahead of the Premier League return, Evans, Underwood and head of recruitment Alex Davies know they have been thrown in at the deep end. They are confident in their processes, but acknowledge they have never previously held such senior roles in a summer transfer window. Up to 80 per cent of the legwork in every transfer Leeds complete will fall on Underwood. In broad terms, he will be the face of the club when it comes to dealing with targets, their agents and their current sides. He has to get these deals over the line — and got the ball rolling with the summer's first arrival, Lukas Nmecha, confirmed yesterday (Sunday). Hammond's recommendation of Underwood was important, but Marathe, Evans and the board had to be confident Underwood was up to this task, too. But there is belief his grounding as the club's head of academy, which involved player and agent negotiations, can be the platform for success in the senior arena. Advertisement Underwood may be unproven as a sporting director, but his wider reputation as an executive has been on an upward trajectory for a decade. He arrived at Leeds as head of academy in November 2014 and made waves in that role before Marathe promoted him to head of football operations after the 49ers Enterprises' takeover in July 2023. Senior club sources who have worked alongside Underwood say his academy leadership has always been impressive. The academy's ability to consistently produce talented footballers, even when the rest of the club has endured difficult periods, has been to Underwood's credit. 🏆 | Our 2019 Bobby Collins Award goes to Adam Underwood for all his fantastic work for the #LUFC Academy — Leeds United (@LUFC) April 28, 2019 Harry Gray, Sam Chambers, Archie Gray, Charlie Cresswell, Robbie Gotts, Oliver Casey, Alfie McCalmont, Jack Clarke, Jamie Shackleton and Ronaldo Vieira all made first-team debuts after graduating through the academy. Archie Gray, Clarke and Vieira generated substantial transfer fees for the club. Underwood has done his fair share of coaching in the past, but he would not say he has had a direct hand in the development of those players on the grass. His talent has been in assembling the right team of coaches, managing a successful wider environment and, crucially, in keeping them at the club. It is increasingly difficult for even big football clubs like Leeds to retain their best young players when those at the top of the Premier League come calling. Teenagers and their parents can be easily seduced, so Underwood is respected for his role in keeping those players at Thorp Arch. 'When we had a spell where the club were recruiting high-potential younger players — Sam Greenwood, Joe Gelhardt, Crysencio Summerville as well as developing the players within the club, ensuring they had a pathway — Adam played a part in that,' says Central Coast Mariners head coach Mark Jackson, who worked with Underwood from November 2015 until December 2022 in various academy and senior roles. Advertisement 'Charlie Cresswell, Archie Gray… managing those kinds of players and making sure that pathway was there for them. Archie in particular, at a young age under Marcelo (Bielsa), ensuring the opportunity was there for him. 'At a club like Leeds United, there are so many staff, so managing people is really important. That's one of his key strengths: managing people, understanding people with those kinds of communication lines he opens up.' The way Underwood carries himself has struck those who have worked with him, too. He is described as quiet and refreshingly unassuming with very little ego in an industry dominated by big personalities. He had a good relationship with Bielsa. The former head coach set notoriously high expectations for Thorp Arch and it was Underwood's job to meet those demands. Current manager Daniel Farke has grown close to Underwood, too. Their relationship will be critical this summer. Marathe is understood to have put stock in the loyalty that Underwood has shown the club over the years. As well as being on the payroll for more than a decade, Underwood is known to have rejected various approaches from other clubs. 'He's really ambitious, but in a Leeds United type way,' says Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala, who was appointed as United's under-21 manager in July 2022 and remained until November 2023. 'He's very ambitious in his own career, would always want to progress, but wanted to be ready first; very calculated, but very ambitious. 'He definitely had other clubs always sniffing around him to become technical director and sporting director. Some big Premier League clubs were trying to get him to move. He never left, so it shows you his commitment.' As mild-mannered as Underwood has been described, he will need to be ruthless in his decision-making at the top of a Premier League club. With Underwood responsible for releasing hundreds of youth footballers over the past decade, his backers have told The Athletic they have no doubts he has the required edge to succeed. Advertisement 'He knows the pressures of the game,' adds Skubala. 'He's not somebody who's come from outside of football to be a sporting director. He understands football, all the nooks and crannies of it. It's really important in the sporting director role that you have that understanding. You can't come at it from completely stats or come from just an analyst's point of view.' Underwood will be judged on his body of work. He has come this far and impressed the right people to get to where he is, but supporters will only care about the shape he leaves the squad in on September 1. How do his former colleagues think he will do? 'He's the bedrock of the club,' says Skubala. 'He's come through the ranks. He's done the coaching, he's done the analysis, he's done the academy, done the first team. He knows the clubs through and through. 'Changes happen quickly in football, people come in and out, but he's the Mr Constant. He's a smart appointment as a sporting director. He knows the fans. He knows the club from every corner of the training ground. He's a really good guy to work for, really supportive of staff, really good with players, pushing the club, and makes good decisions. 'He's a trustworthy character, a man with the club at heart.' Jackson feels it is Underwood's communication skills which will open doors for him and Leeds this summer. 'He's worked within the current setup with the 49ers for a period of time,' he says. 'Knowing how they work is really important. Adam's been building towards this, developing the skills a sporting director needs. 'His communication skills will set him apart. That's really important when you're in that role: communicating with the manager and with the board. 'I'm sure he's got a really good eye for a player. He's built up a really good network of people within his time working at the higher end of the club.'


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
What young Villa centre-backs Sil Swinkels and Josh Feeney learned in League One's school of hard knocks
Hard knocks are part of a young footballer's education. Stepping into a first team asks questions. It can be abrasive, unforgiving and, depending on circumstances, a culture shock. This may be even truer for a central defender, a position that requires consistency and minimal errors. Lessons can be harsh. Advertisement For a defender's first forays outside the Premier League academy bubble and into a senior side elsewhere, the stakes are raised immeasurably; results dictate a league position and there are financial repercussions, be it a loss of funding, employment for club workers or bonuses, which some players heavily rely on. 'When I first came in, we won a couple and (were) above the relegation places,' Sil Swinkels, Aston Villa's central defender who spent the second half of last season at Bristol Rovers in League One, tells The Athletic. 'You start to think, 'Oh, we're doing well here'. I scored on my debut, which was amazing and a blur. 'Then you lose one and you feel it in the changing room. The mood changes because careers are on the line. That's very different from the under-21s. Games are about development and if you lose but you play well, that's almost more important. After the first loss, I was in a proper survival fight.' It is little wonder that the 21-year-old centre-back found solace in trading experiences with another young Villa centre-back, Josh Feeney, 20, who spent last season on loan at Shrewsbury Town, also in English football's third tier. Both players experienced the sharp pain of relegation. 'Josh and I spoke before and after every game,' says Swinkels. 'It was just, 'Are you starting? Who have you got on the weekend?'. If I were playing a team he had faced, he would give me advice about their striker and vice versa.' At the start of May, both returned to Bodymoor Heath, Villa's training ground, for post-season reviews with emerging talent development manager Tony Carss. 'The reviews were about sharing our own experiences which were very similar,' says Swinkels. 'We both came from Villa into teams that didn't really play football themselves anymore and were struggling. It was nice to talk over because it was so recognisable.' While Dutchman Swinkels was leaving Villa's orbit for the first time since arriving from Vitesse Arnhem in 2020 in a deal worth £180,000 ($244,000 in today's exchange), Shrewsbury was Englishman Feeney's second loan, having been the first of five graduates to move to Unai Emery-owned Basque club, Real Union, in January 2024. Villa took a calculated risk when they signed Feeney from Fleetwood Town for a substantial fee in June 2021. It was the era of Covid and behind-closed-doors matches, when opportunities to watch players in the flesh were limited. Scouting took place on the usual platforms — Wyscout and other data software — and Villa's youth recruitment decided to pursue Feeney without so much as a distant in-person view of the defender. When negotiations took place over Zoom, Feeney was 14 and playing for Fleetwood's under-18s, before he featured on their senior bench as a 15-year-old. Advertisement Feeney, who rejected interest from other top-flight sides, entered Villa's scholarship programme. He became the youngest player to feature in Villa's matchday squad in the 2021-22 season and combined captaining England's under-17s with training in then-manager Steven Gerrard's first team. Since then, he has played in Villa's three pre-season trips abroad and has benefited from greater tactical understanding through Emery's coaching. Shrewsbury, meanwhile, offered a hardship that, as the theory goes, is often required in pursuit of progress. While on their loans last season, the pair regularly checked in with Carss, who would ring or message after most games. Sometimes they would chat naturally, perhaps a way of showing they were still in the club's thoughts and, at others, be sent clips of previous games with comments from Carss. 'It would be, 'Have a look at this, what could you have done better here?',' says Swinkels. 'Or, 'Here you do this, which is not bad, but this maybe would be better'. So he was working with me closely, which gave me the feeling I was representing Villa.' Swinkels had signed a new long-term contract at Villa earlier in the season, with first-team minutes the next stage of his development. He could have gone on loan last summer after Peterborough United and Wycombe Wanderers expressed interest, but Villa decided they were light in central defence with Tyrone Mings recovering from an ACL injury, so they kept the Netherlands youth international to provide cover for the first half of the season. Rovers entered the equation over the winter. They share a productive relationship with Villa, and Swinkles joined Lino Sousa, a 20-year-old left-back already there on loan. A year earlier, Lamare Bogarde benefited from successive spells at Rovers and later provided essential depth to Emery's side. Advertisement Bogarde and Swinkels had been scouted by Villa's recruitment staff on the same day of a trip to the Netherlands. The latter played 14 games for Rovers and believes his time in the south west stands him in excellent stead heading into the summer. 'I spoke to Lino, who was enjoying it, and then Lamare said he learned a lot,' says Swinkels. 'Having players that have been there and done what you want gives familiarity. 'When I spoke to them, Rovers did a presentation and showed the examples of Elliot Anderson (now at Nottingham Forest) and Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), who played on loan. There were four or five cases in the last three years of players going there and then kicking on their careers.' At Rovers, Swinkels played in his most familiar position in a back four, before moonlighting at full-back and in a back three whenever manager Inigo Calderon wanted further defensive cover. It tested how Swinkels defended; a centre-back in youth football would be accustomed to play being in front of him. Here, though, opposing strikers were more willing to nudge, poke and turn. 'When I came, we wanted to play football and I was thinking, 'This will be nice, I can still play',' Swinkels laughs. 'But quickly we changed to very direct football. You get used to it because if you know you're going to play long, you stop looking for shorter passes. 'Off the ball was a big change, especially playing in a back five where there are a lot of situations defending wide areas. When teams go long in academy football, they will play off the forward, getting knockdowns. In League One, they wouldn't look to knock the ball down — strikers would just knock the ball on further. 'The way strikers use their body… they see me jumping and while in mid air, they give a nudge. After a couple of games, I started knowing when to jump and when it's better to let them jump and nudging them.' Rovers finished 22nd in League One, with only Cambridge United and Feeney's Shrewsbury below. If Swinkels' loan was immediately being thrown in at the deep end, Feeney's experience was longer, more gradual. A previously stable League One side who had been in the division for 10 successive seasons, Shrewsbury were treading water before sinking. Advertisement This had little to do with Feeney, whose performances got better as the team got worse. Barring injuries, Feeney was largely ever-present, making 39 appearances in all competitions. Realistically, Swinkels and Feeney are expected to go on loan again and step up levels once more in 2025-26. It seems that adversity and being battle-hardened early in a career, despite the particular pitfalls for centre-backs, is no great issue for two Villa players who aspire to compete at the highest possible level.