The sight of superstars rolling into London City Lionesses this summer was exciting for many, but there was one man who was tasked with making them a team - head coach Eder Maestre.
Some questioned how he was going to balance a team of such talent - both incoming and already present - most of whom are used to starting, along with Michele Kang's vision for disruption - smash the traditional big three and qualify for Europe.
And it is so far, so good. The Bromley-based club are third in the WSL with 16 points - already seven ahead of Arsenal - and have proven their summer acquisitions were more than just big names through the door.
So that begs the question - how has Maestre done it?
"It's surprisingly good how fast we were able to assemble a lot of things, considering all the things that we have and trying to understand the different contexts that the players came from," he exclusively told Sky Sports ahead of Sunday's game against Manchester City.
"It's about trying to create strong values to respect the identity we are trying to make. We came from good foundations from the last season, so it's about keep building on that.
"The way we want to play - being aggressive out of possession, trying to recover the ball as soon as possible - is something that is easy to engage the players on because everyone wants to have the ball and to use it to make the chances.
"But the way you can reach that efficiency in games is the other thing that is the most difficult, considering the chemistry that you need to promote between the players. That's why in that overall, I'm very happy."
Putellas and Van de Donk influence
We cannot talk about London City without mentioning Alexia Putellas. On Monday evening, she picked up a record-equalling third Ballon d'Or - the first for a player at a current WSL club.
Her influence in south-east London is growing by the game. She is the club's top league scorer so far this season and is building passing connections with her team-mates, linking the defence and attack as shown in the pass map below.
"Alexia is Alexia," Maestre said of his captain. "That's why she's able to create that chemistry so quickly with the team surrounding her.
"The way she comes back from the injuries that she had, the way she was pushing, recovering the shape, recovering the feelings to win that third Ballon d'Or shows everybody how she's striving every day to be a better player.
"That energy and leadership that she has, this attention to the details, it helps everybody to push. It's a privilege having these kind of players in the squad, not only for the player that they are.
"She is also a mirror where the young players can see themselves, to understand what is the price to reach that target. It's not about deciding, you have to pay the bill and she represents how difficult it is having the consistency that she has."
Another talent flying under the radar is Danielle van de Donk. The midfielder was injured for much of last season but has made a triumphant return this year, already notching up eight goal involvements in eight appearances in all competitions.
"She suffered a lot last season due to the injuries that she had," Maestre said. "It's so frustrating for a player that brings energy to the team, to the team-mates. Hopefully this season, she's in very good shape and she's performing very well.
"In the game, she represents perfectly the identity that this team wants to have, so I'm very happy having her involved. And when she's on the bench, the way she can lead, the energy that she brings to every part of the process is amazing. It's a complete pleasure watching her being able to bring her best to the team."
'Beating a top-three team the next step'
London City will need to draw on all of their experience and success this season when they face unbeaten Manchester City on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
The Lionesses are matching the WSL champions in many overall metrics this season, but have never beaten a traditional 'top-three' team. By Maestre's own admission, winning these games has to be the next step in their development.
If they do so this weekend, London City go level on points with Man City and Chelsea - however briefly - and they surely have to be considered serious title contenders.
"We are moving forward, making good checks, reaching big results against teams like Tottenham playing away, but one that we need to fix is being able to win these kind of teams," Maestre said.
"We are going to have the best test we can have so far because Man City are the ones that won the competition last season.
"If we can show everybody that we are ready to face them while respecting our identity and through that, reaching a good performance and being able to win, it's a very good step to keep pushing, to keep showing everybody that we are here for that [top] position in the standings.
"So many coaches explain how difficult it is creating a winning project and it takes time. It's a consequence of repeating every time those winning behaviours to try to create that strength. It's not about having one, two, three good games.
"The big teams are big teams because they had the consistency to be there a lot of times. That's why it's not about reaching, it's about having enough consistency to keep the reach that you can achieve in one moment. That's why we must be humble."
The stats also paint a positive picture. London City have scored eight goals in the opening 30 minutes of WSL matches this season - the most in the league - while Man City's defensive numbers are on shaky ground.
The WSL champions have conceded nine goals in seven WSL games this season - over twice as many as at the same stage in 2025/26 (4). It is their worst defensive start to a league campaign since 2021/22.
They say numbers don't lie, but Maestre is not using them as a free pass to the top of the WSL this weekend.
"Every game is different," he reflected. "Sometimes it's about a lucky or unlucky situation and Man City are doing the same things that they were doing last season.
"This competition is very tough, so everyone can punish everybody, so this humble mentality has to be one of our strong values to keep pushing and to have this consistency.
"We must push as we did in the games before with all the belief that we can reach that performance that we expect to have, that result that we are dreaming that we can have.
"If they are not successful in and out of possession, we will be there to take advantage of that, but we cannot expect that they are going to concede something because we are going to be wrong."
London City have won their last five home WSL games - only Man City having more (16) - and Maestre wants the home support to be a key part of any performance.
"We are really aware of the importance of the game that we have ahead and we are going to push for the win, respecting the identity that we were trying to build since the first day here.
"That's why we are going to need their energy from the stands, because we are going to be in tough moments. If they can be player number 12, we are going to be closer to the performance and the scoring that we are looking for."