'More to come' - Liverpool striker makes vow and lifts lid on Champions League ambition

Liverpool striker Sophie Roman Haug says there is "more to come" from her this season after her impressive debut campaign on Merseyside. The Norway international joined the Reds from AS Roma last summer and registered seven goals and three assists in 20 Women's Super League (WSL) appearances to help Matt Beard's side to an eye-catching top four finish.

Roman Haug arrived at the club off the back of an excellent individual showing at the Women's World Cup, with Liverpool paying a club-record fee for her services, although Olivia Smith's move from Sporting CP has since eclipsed that. But while the Reds' significant financial outlay has brought with it extra pressure, the forward is relishing the opportunity to show why the club were so keen to acquire her signature.

"I just found that to be nice because it showed me the club really wanted me and they knew what I had to bring to the table," she told the ECHO. "It’s really just been a challenge to me and I’ve wanted to prove myself and show what I can do. It’s been a great journey over the past year and I’m looking forward to continuing.

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"Liverpool is a great club, a big club, with big ambitions. I’ve heard about the club since I was little and so getting the opportunity to play for the club and be a part of what they’re building here is really exciting.

"When you get to a new club, there are a lot of new things to get to know but I felt like as last season went on I got more and more into things so I want to keep building on that. I still don’t feel like I’ve reached my peak. Hopefully there is a lot more to come and I’m very much looking forward to showing that this season."

Liverpool defied expectation to finish fourth in the WSL last term, six points above archrivals Manchester United, who had finished the previous campaign 23 points clear of Beard's side. But, while enormous progress has been made at the club since the Reds' promotion from the Championship in 2022, Haug knows it will be a huge challenge to close the gap on the division's top three and earn Champions League qualification.

"Personally, I just want to help the team," she said. "We had a good season last year but we want to continue taking those steps and of course I’m a striker so I want to score as many goals as possible.

"We’re very excited. We obviously finished fourth last year so we want to keep taking those steps and challenging ourselves and challenging the top three. I really want to play in the Champions League with this club and that’s something we’re aiming for."

Liverpool have been ramping up their pre-season preparations over the past few weeks ahead of their season opener against Leicester City on September 22, contesting a number of behind-closed-doors friendlies - including a narrow defeat to Manchester City - at the state-of-the-art AXA Melwood Training Centre. And Haug is now counting down the days until the new campaign gets underway.

"It’s been a long pre-season but it’s been good," she said. "It’s nice to get some extra time together as a team and put in the work on what we want to do this season.

"It’s super important for us and it’s great to have these facilities at Melwood. You have everything you need here. Everything is fully prepared for you so you can go out and perform at your best level."

The extended pre-season has also enabled Liverpool's players to get to know each other off the pitch, with new signings Smith, Cornelia Kapocs and Gemma Evans having settled in well on Merseyside. Having herself now had a year to settle in Liverpool, Haug says the city is starting to feel like home.

"People here have been really welcoming and I really enjoy it here at the club," she said. "It is a great squad and from my first day it felt like a family here. I think that’s really important within a team to feel that. It makes you want to work harder for each other. Players come from all over the world here and it’s nice to know that you always have each other’s backs."

Fans will get their first chance to see the Reds in pre-season action this weekend, when they host Everton at St Helens Stadium - the club's new home following a summer switch from Tranmere Rovers' Prenton Park. And Haug is hoping Liverpool get can life at their new ground off to a winning start on Sunday afternoon.

"I think it will be a very good thing for us," she said. "I’m excited to have a new home ground and hopefully all of our fans will come along to support us. There’s so much rivalry in a derby. It’s always a tough game against Everton but we enjoy those games and hopefully it will be an entertaining game to watch."

Liverpool Women will host Everton Women in a friendly at St Helens Stadium at 2pm on Sunday, September 15. You can buy tickets here.