1.Manu ZINSBERGER
Position: Goalkeeper
Nationality: Austrian
Age: 27
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2019
Manu is Austria’s number 1 goalkeeper and has played at the top level since her teens when she joined Bayern Munich. Zinsberger is renowned for her quality short distribution, rarely misplacing a pass. She has been the number one since she arrived but, in January, Jonas Eidevall brought Canadian international goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo in to compete and rotate with her. Zinsberger had an option for a one-year contract extension triggered in March so she is currently contracted until the end of the campaign.
Interesting fact: According to FBRef, Zinsberger has a 99% completion rate for short and passes and a 98% completion rate for medium passes across her four seasons at the club.
Further reading: I am very proud of what I have achieved at this club
3.Lotte WUBBEN-MOY
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: English
Age: 24
Joined Arsenal: 2014 and again in Summer 2020
Lotte came through the Arsenal academy and made her debut as a 16-year-old before spending four years on scholarship at the University of North Carolina. The England defender returned to her childhood club in September 2020. Lotte asked to have extra community and mentoring work written into her most recent contract extension. Though she found herself behind the now departed Rafaelle and Leah Williamson in the pecking order over the last two seasons, she has still played an integral role and a lot of minutes given she is equally comfortable at right or left centre-half.
Interesting fact: Lotte is a fluent Dutch speaker, raised in Bow in East London, her father is from the Netherlands.
Further listening: Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 63: Exclusive with Jen Beattie, Victoria Pelova and Lotte Wubben-Moy
5.Jennifer BEATTIE
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: Scottish
Age: 32
Joined Arsenal: 2009 and then again Summer 2019
Beats joined the club as a teenager from Celtic in 2009 and won three league titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups before moving to Montpellier and then to Manchester City. Beattie returned to the club in the summer of 2019. In October 2020, Beats was diagnosed with breast cancer but, happily, recovered. She signed a new contract this summer and she also holds a mentoring role with the club’s academy players and shadows the Arsenal media and commercial teams regularly as she considers her post playing career. Beattie played a crucial role in the middle of a back three at the end of last season after injury to Leah Williamson.
Interesting fact: Beattie played as a striker in her first spell at Arsenal, skills she put to good use when she scored the equaliser against Wolfsburg in the Champions League semi-final second leg last season. Her father John and her brother Johnnie both played international rugby for Scotland.
Further listening: Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 63: Exclusive with Jen Beattie, Victoria Pelova and Lotte Wubben-Moy
6.Leah WILLIAMSON
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: English
Age: 26
Joined Arsenal: 2006
Leah came through the Arsenal academy, joining the club at the age of 9. A lifelong Gunners fan, Williamson made her debut as a 17-year-old and won the FA Cup in her hometown of Milton Keynes in 2014. She has since won an FA Cup at Wembley, two Conti Cups and was a crucial part of the Gunners 2018-19 title winning side. Leah captained England to Euros glory last summer but is currently recovering from an ACL injury incurred in April.
Interesting fact: At the age of 9, Leah and her family interrupted a family holiday so she could be the men’s team mascot for a League Cup game away at West Brom, where she had a photo with Theo Walcott.
Further listening: Arseblog exclusive interview from January 2022
7.Steph CATLEY
Position: Left-back
Nationality: Australian
Age: 29
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2020
Catley joined Arsenal three seasons ago and extended her contract this summer. Catley has been a mainstay at left-back under Jonas Eidevall and can also play as a left sided centre-half. She is very much an overlapping, attacking full-back who likes to combine with the winger ahead of her and she is renowned for her world class setpiece delivery too. She wears number 7 because one of her sporting heroes is Lenny Hayes, who played for her local Melbourne Aussie Rules club St. Kilda.
Interesting fact: Steph’s grandfather George was born in Islington but relocated to Melbourne and is a life-long Arsenal fan.
Further reading: Steph Catley talks to Arseblog News about the difference between playing centre-half and left-back (December 2022)
9.Beth MEAD
Position: Right-forward
Nationality: English
Age: 28
Joined Arsenal: Spring 2017
Mead was voted Arsenal’s player of the season for 2021-22 and she brought that energy into last summer’s European Championship, where she won the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament awards, alongside her winners’ medal with England. Beth arrived at the club from Sunderland as a 77 goals in 78 games centre-forward but switched to a wide-forward position at Arsenal. Beth finished as runner-up in last year’s Ballon D’Or. She is currently in the final stages of recovering from an ACL injury incurred in November last year.
Interesting fact: While at Sunderland, Beth was involved in a car accident as she swerved to avoid a deer in the road, her car flipping onto its roof as a result. The next day, she scored a hat-trick against Chelsea.
Further viewing: Recognise Game, Tim Stillman and Beth Mead analyse Mead’s performance v Lyon from October 2022
10.Kim LITTLE(c)
Position: Central-midfield
Nationality: Scottish
Age: 33
Joined Arsenal: 2008 and then again in Spring 2017
Kim initially joined Arsenal from Hibernian as an 18-year-old where she quickly established herself as one of the biggest talents in women’s football. After winning four league titles, three FA Cups and four League Cups, she left to join Seattle Reign in early 2014. Little rejoined the club three years later and captained the club to the 2019 league title victory. Kim is considered one of the best players of the last 15 years and has been club captain since her return in 2017. Kim extended her Arsenal contract in April.
Interesting fact: In September 2021, Kim was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Hertfordshire, where she is a member of their alumni.
Further reading: ‘She can control large areas of space’ Jonas Eidevall breaks down Kim Little’s qualities
11.Vivianne MIEDEMA
Position: Attacking midfield
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 27
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2017
Miedema joined Arsenal from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2017 off the back of two Bundesliga titles and winning Euro 2017 with the Netherlands. Miedema has since established herself as one of the best players in the world, breaking the WSL goal scoring record as well as her country’s goal scoring record at the age of 23. Miedema switched to the number 10 position during the second half of the 2021-22 season having previously played as a number 9 for Arsenal. She is currently recovering from an ACL injury she suffered in December last year.
Interesting fact: Viv broke the Netherlands goal scoring record shortly before her 23rd birthday at the 2019 World Cup. She is also the WSL’s record goal scorer.
Further reading: Vivianne Miedema tactically recharged December 2022
12.Frida MAANUM
Position: Central-midfield
Nationality: Norwegian
Age: 24
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2021
The highly-rated Norwegian midfielder arrived at the club in the summer of 2021 with a reputation as one of the best young midfielders in Europe. But it was last season where she really demonstrated her talent, winning the Arsenal Supporters Club Player of the Year and finished the season as Arsenal’s top scorer. A tall, powerful and rangy attacking midfielder with a powerful long-shot, Maanum extended her Gunners contract in May.
Interesting fact: When Jonas Eidevall was interviewed for the Arsenal job in the summer of 2021, he was asked to name three midfielders he would most like to sign. Maanum was one of the midfielders on his list. He didn’t realise that Arsenal had already signed her.
Further reading: Frida Maanum: a deserved player of the season (analysis piece) June 2023
13.Lia WALTI
Position: Central-midfield
Nationality: Swiss
Age: 30
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2018
Signed from Turbine Potsdam in 2018, Wälti has been an absolute fixture in the midfield ever since. The Swiss international captain is known for her ability in tight spaces, her defensive awareness and her two-footedness. Lia is one of the most important players in the Arsenal team and plays whenever she is fit (or indeed, half fit!) Walti is the captain of Switzerland and part of the Arsenal leadership group. Lia extended her Arsenal contract in May.
Interesting fact: Lia Wälti is nicknamed ‘snake hips’ by her teammates because of her ability to turn opponents. She is also one of the most two-footed players in the world. Despite being predominantly right-footed, she makes roughly 50% of her passes with her left foot.
Further reading: ‘She has adapted to my ideas and I have adapted to her qualities’ Jonas Eidevall May 2023
14.Sabrina D’ANGELO
Position: Goalkeeper
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 30
Joined Arsenal: January 2023
Canadian international D’Angelo joined the club in January from Swedish side Vittsjö in January to provide competition for Manu Zinsberger. D’Angelo is a different style of goalkeeper to Manu, Sabrina is noted for her long distribution, her long throwing and her aggressiveness from her line. Eidevall tends to favour Zinsberger’s short distribution against teams that play deep blocks, while D’Angelo often plays against teams more inclined to press high.
Interesting fact: D’Angelo is Arsenal’s first ever Canadian player.
Further reading: ‘It gives the team options’ Jonas Eidevall explains goalkeeper situation February 2023
15.Katie McCABE
Position: Left-forward / left-back
Nationality: Irish
Age: 28
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2015
McCabe signed for the club as a promising teenager in 2015 but found minutes difficult to come by initially, joining Glasgow City on loan in 2017. The Ireland captain fully expected to leave Arsenal following her loan spell until new coach Joe Montemurro saw her in training and insisted she be part of his plans. Since 2017, only Kim Little has played more minutes in the Arsenal first-team and her ability to play either on the left-wing or at left-back make her incredibly valuable. Katie is known for her ability to score goals from long range and was voted the Arsenal.com Player of the Season last year.
Interesting fact: McCabe captains Ireland having inherited the armband from Arsenal legend Emma Byrne, McCabe is the youngest player in Ireland’s history to be appointed captain (21).
Further reading: Katie McCabe against Wolfsburg: In Focus (analysis piece April 2023)
16.Noelle MARITZ
Position: Right-back
Nationality: Swiss
Age: 27
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2020
Maritz moved to Arsenal three years ago after a very successful spell at Wolfsburg in Germany, where she won the Champions League and five Bundesliga titles. Noelle has established herself as a consistent and reliable right-back, who can also play at left-back. She initially lost her place as a consistent starter to Laura Wienroither last season before fighting to win her place back.
Interesting fact: Maritz represents Switzerland internationally but was born and raised in California. She is of Swiss descent and moved back to the country when she was 10 years old.
Further reading: ‘Noelle is a great example of our culture’ Jonas Eidevall on Maritz fighting for her place
17.Lina HURTIG
Position: Wide-forward
Nationality: Swedish
Age: 28
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2022
The Swedish forward signed for the club from Juventus last summer but endured an injury hit debut campaign due to calf and foot injuries. Hurtig can play all across the front line but prefers to operate from the left. Hurtig is known for her aerial ability in the penalty area as well as her willingness to commit players in one-on-one situations.
Interesting fact: At the age of 15, Hurtig scored 14 goals in 20 games for Gustafs in the Swedish second tier.
Further listening: Analysis of Hurtig’s game with Swedish journalist Mia Eriksson
19.Caitlin FOORD
Position: Left-wing / Centre-forward
Nationality: Australian
Age: 28
Joined Arsenal: January 2020
Caitlin came to England in January 2020 after a long spell playing in both America and Australia (their respective seasons do not overlap). Foord can play across the front line or either as a hold-up striker or a winger, where she is renowned for her eye for goal and ability to commit full-backs in one-on-one situations. She has been a mainstay on the left wing since arriving at the club. Foord also signed a new contract during this summer.
Interesting fact: Caitlin became the youngest Australian to play at the World Cup when she competed at the 2011 tournament, aged 16. She has now played at four World Cups.
Further reading: Foord Focus– analysis of Cailtin’s display in the 4-0 win over Tottenham last September
20.GIO
Position: Wide forward
Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 20
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2022
Signed from Barcelona last summer, Gio is considered one of the finest young talents in the world. The Brazilian enjoyed an outstanding season on loan with Levante in 2021-22 and upon signing last summer, immediately joined Everton on loan. However, she was recalled half way through the campaign due to the Gunners’ injury crisis, where she played more of a bit part role from the bench.
Interesting fact: Gio was born in São Paulo but moved to Florida aged four, before her family emigrated again to Spain when she was a teenager. She chose to represent Brazil internationally but played for Spain, USA and Brazil at U17 level. In fact, she scored for Spain U17s against USA a few months after representing them.
Further reading: Jonas Eidevall urges patience with Gio January 2023
21.Victoria PELOVA
Position: Central midfield / wide forward
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 24
Joined Arsenal: January 2023
Recruited from Ajax in January, Dutch international Pelova is a playmaker who can operate in a number of positions in midfield or out wide- she even plays as a right wing-back for Netherlands. Pelova is an outstanding small space player who relishes dribbling out of tight situations with the ball, she is also a very hard working and physical player off the ball.
Interesting fact: Pelova was a junior chess champion in her native Netherlands and has a master’s degree in applied mathematics.
Further listening: Arsenal Women Arsecast Episode 63: Exclusive with Jen Beattie, Victoria Pelova and Lotte Wubben-Moy
22.Kathrine KUHL
Position: Central midfield
Nationality: Danish
Age: 20
Joined Arsenal: January 2023
Kuhl joined the club from FC Nordsjælland in January with a reputation as one of the finest teenage talents in Europe. Already a crucial player in the Denmark midfield, Kuhl is a creative number 8 with excellent skill and vision in her passing. She is a technically very smooth player who relishes dribbling out of pressure. She already has two international tournaments under her belt with her country.
Interesting fact: Kuhl was voted Player of the Match in the 2019 Danish Cup Final, when she was just 16 years old.
Further reading: ‘I like to play in those small pockets’ Kathrine Kuhl talks to Arseblog News (January 2023)
23.Alessia RUSSO
Position: Centre-forward
Nationality: English
Age: 24
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2023
Russo signed for the club this summer on a free transfer from Manchester United, where she spent three seasons. Russo is a pivot centre-forward who is very strong in the air, has excellent hold up play and runs the channels very effectively. She is also England’s starting number 9, in 2022 she won the Puskas Award for her backheel goal against Sweden in the Euros semi-finals.
Interesting fact: Russo is a long-time friend of Lotte Wubben-Moy, they went to college in North Carolina together.
Further reading: Why Arsenal pushed the boat out for Alessia Russo (analysis piece, July 2023)
24.Cloe LACASSE
Position: Wide forward
Nationality: Canadian
Age: 30
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2023
Lacasse signed for the club this summer after four outstanding years at Benfica, where she operated as a wide forward and scored 70 goals in 74 appearances in the Portuguese league. Lacasse previously played in Iceland too and is considered an excellent, direct wide forward who excels at creating shooting opportunities and an outstanding transition forward.
Interesting fact: Lacasse was granted Icelandic citizenship in June 2019 and applied to FIFA to be able to represent Iceland internationally but her application was denied because she didn’t meet FIFA’s residency requirements. She has subsequently been capped by her native Canada.
Further listening: Scouting Cloe Lacasse– a conversation with women’s football scout and data analyst Marc Lamberts
25.Stina BLACKSTENIUS
Position: Centre-forward
Nationality: Swedish
Age: 27
Joined Arsenal: January 2022
Blackstenius arrived in January 2022 with a reputation as Sweden’s supreme striking talent. Stina has an excellent work-rate, likes to run the channels and attack the penalty area in the manner of a traditional number 9. She does a lot of unheralded work off the ball. Her signing signalled Vivianne Miedema’s move into a deeper role.
Interesting fact: She is the only person named ‘Stina Blackstenius’ in the world.
Further reading: ‘Back to Blackstenius’ analysis of her performance against Brighton in May 2023
26.Laura WIENROITHER
Position: Right-back
Nationality: Austrian
Age: 24
Joined Arsenal: January 2022
Wienroither signed from Hoffenheim in January 2022 after impressing against the Gunners in the Champions League group stage in the winter of 2021. The Austrian really impressed at last summer’s Euros and fought her way ahead of Noelle Maritz in the pecking order at right-back last season before succumbing to an ACL injury in May that will see her miss the majority of this campaign.
Interesting fact: Laura scored her first goal for Arsenal in November 2021- two months before she signed. Wienroither scored an own goal playing for Hoffenheim against Arsenal in the Champions League.
Further reading: Noelle Maritz and Laura Wienroither: analysis of the battle for the right-back spot (November 2022)
27.Laia CODINA
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: Spanish
Age: 23
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2023
Codina signed for the club from Barcelona this summer. A La Masia graudate, Codina is a left sided centre-half (though she is right-footed) who found her path to regular football blocked by Mapi Leon at club level. Codina started every knockout game of Spain’s World Cup winning campaign over the summer and is also a two-time UWCL winner who also spent a season on loan at AC Milan in 2021-22.
Interesting fact: Codina has been studying journalism at the University de Vic in Catalunya.
Further listening: Laia the Land- Arsenal Women Arsecast with Alex Ibaceta
28.Amanda ILESTEDT
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: Swedish
Age: 30
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2023
Ilestedt joined the club from Paris Saint Germain this summer, an experienced Swedish international who has also played for Bayern Munich, Ilestedt has also played for Jonas Eidevall previously at Rosengard. A tall, commanding centre-back, Ilestedt is fantastic in the air, good on the ball and can also play at right-back.
Interesting fact: Ilestedt’s Great Uncle is Sven Tumba, one of the greatest ever Swedish ice hockey players. Her cousin is Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Florida Panthers.
Further reading: Amanda Ilestedt in profile: Analysis by Swedish journalist Mia Eriksson
29.Teyah GOLDIE
Position: Centre-half
Nationality: English
Age: 19
Teyah has been at Arsenal since she was seven years old and made her debut for the first team in April 2021. Goldie can also play in defensive midfield but spent all of last season recovering from an ACL injury incurred while on loan at Watford in March 2022. Goldie signed her first professional contract with the club on the day of her 18th birthday last summer.
32.Kyra COONEY-CROSS
Position: Central-midfield
Nationality: Australian
Age: 21
Joined Arsenal: Summer 2023
One of the stars of the summer World Cup with co-hosts Australia, Cooney-Cross joined the club on transfer deadline day from Hammarby in Sweden. The 21-year-old is an all-action box-to-box midfielder who excels in tight spaces and has a good shot off both feet. Cooney-Cross played for Melbourne City before moving to Hammarby in 2022, her performances in the Matildas engine room at the World Cup meant she had her fair share of suitors, with Chelsea and Manchester United also interested in the player. But Arsenal put down the money other clubs shied away from to get their player minutes before the transfer window closed.
Interesting fact: At Melbourne Victory, Cooney-Cross scored the winning goal in the W-League Grand Final against Sydney FC in the last minute of extra-time, scoring directly from a corner.
Further listening: Cooney-Cross Bro– podcast with Melbourne based journalist Anna Harrington.
Arsenal Women content as promised. Cheers, Tim. That is a very reassuring list. 26 players, including three or four who are unlikely to play much of a part in the upcoming season because they have serious injuries. That is a shame but they are still players for the longer term and 22 is more than we started last season with. We look like a well-balanced squad. It’s a great mix of young, peak and older players especially in midfield and defence. It gives Jonas a lot of tactical flexibility. And there has been a huge overhaul if you take last… Read more »
Great overview, thanks Tim! Seems like a very nice mix, with all the elements in place to make a serious challenge for the WSL title.
I think I’m most excited about Cooney-Cross.
Very interested to see where Jonas sees her playing.
Russo was one of the nominees in the 2022 Puskas Award but didn’t win it.
One of the least ethnically diverse football squads I’ve ever seen.
It’s not intentionally so. Nor has it always been so. Football is a sport which really is open to everyone but some of the changes made recently to the development pathway have favoured girls from middle class families which are less diverse than working class families. This is being addressed urgently to cast the net for young talent as widely as possible. Also the last two head coaches have been from, and done most of their coaching in, majority white countries, so those are the contacts they have. We know for a fact that Arsenal tried to get Geyse and… Read more »
Meant to say, the FA’s development pathways
There was no implication. It was an observation. You seem somewhat triggered by it.
Of course there was an implication, and you were seeking a response, otherwise you might have actually tried to explain/justfy your comment. By the way, have you seen other WSL and Championship squads?
Lazy comment, lazy response. You have been seen.
And JE has gone public about being Girma’s biggest fan. But I suspect you don’t even know who she is!
Eidevall likes lots of players who aren’t in his squad. Then when he gets them, he decides that he needs somebody else. He strikes me as more an operator than a first-rate coach. He’s had far more talent than Montemurro ever had–and won less silver.
This comment belongs in the past. You may as well say that he “has black friends”
It’s a fact that the Arsenal Ladies squad is severely under represented. This should be questioned and highlighted and both your self and Tim have offered explanations as to the reasons why.
Why you have taken a snidey defensive tone in your replies to me. Are you uncomfortable having this issue highlighted?
No, it’s nothing like saying “he has black friends”. It’s saying that JE and CW try to sign good players regardless of race and can’t always get them. The explanation for the wider problem of underrepresentation, acknowledged as I said by the FA, is common knowledge to anyone who has a genuine interest in women’s football. Anyone who knows about the history of Arsenal Women would know that we have always had a mix of players. It’s ridiculous to blame Arsenal, of all clubs, for a situation they didn’t create. And no, I am not uncomfortable with the issue of… Read more »
No I did not make a judgmental remark. I like you and everyone else here loves the club. I made a basic observation that is an undeniable fact. It’s great that there is now dialogue and conversation regarding the wider issues.
And what you say is absolutely true it is a known issue, however not one I have seen raised on this forum.
I feel we may have both misunderstood each other w
Then let’s just shake hands and move on.
Absolutely
This is an issue across women’s football in general- certainly in the UK. It stems, in part, from regional talent centres in inner city areas being closed 10-15 years ago. The RTCs where players like Drew Spence and Dan Carter came through don’t exist anymore and most of the ones that do exist are in places like Hertfordshire and Surrey (these are the catchment areas of Chelsea and Arsenal too). England’s training base is in the secluded countryside in Burton-on-Trent and you need a car to reach it. The catchment for women’s footballers in the UK has been very, very… Read more »
Thanks Tim for taking the time to explain the situation and I agree with what you say. The national team is also under represented from bame communities.
It is important that players are picked for their talent not there race or background. However as with society as a whole we do need to highlight a lack of diversity and understand the root causes.
The reasons vary from country to country. In France the top teams have plenty of black and brown players, but the FFF has banned the Fifa-sanctioned hijab, so observant Muslim women (and orthodox Jewish women, I would imagine) can’t play.
And yes, as Fun Gunner says, the previous coach was Australian and the current one is Swedish and buys heavily from Scandinavia, which has indeed heavily influenced what the squad looks like. (Which is still not to say there can’t be introspection from the club on the subject).
Says someone who uses the name of a white, male, Swede!
not true at all, Laia is Hispanic, Gio is Latin, there are 3 Aussies, 5 Scandinavians, 4 Germanics, and the rest are Anglo-Saxons which make sense because is an English team.
There’s only one Stina Blackstenius! 🙂
Great article Tim. Looking forward to your coverage this season.