Arseblog News understands from multiple sources that Canadian winger Cloe Lacasse is set to leave the club this summer after one season in North London with a move to the NWSL likely. Our understanding is that the player, now 31, wants more regular football to retain her place in the Canadian National Team and to be closer to her family.
According to our information, Arsenal are set to receive a good transfer fee for the player that likely exceeds the fee they paid Benfica last summer. Lacasse scored three WSL goals and notched two assists in six WSL starts last season but couldn’t force her way past Caitlin Foord and Beth Mead into more regular minutes.
Arsenal have reinforced their attack this summer with the signings of Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Rosa Kafaji from BK Hacken. Gio left the club this summer for a permanent transfer to Atletico Madrid. We expect the move to be resolved quickly at this point, with the player having taken her holiday following the Olympics.
Deserved far more game time
Gutted to be honest – felt there was more game time for her to be had and missed opportunity to switch things up in certain games. Weird for the club to have sought her out (I thought?) and then it play out like this.
Can’t blame her though for wanting more time on the pitch to retain her national team spot given it’s taken her time to get in. Will miss her.
Sad to see her go, but good luck to her. Always have been proud when there is Canadians playing for The Arsenal.
Same here! As a Canadian myself, I loved having a Canadian connection at Arsenal! I wish her all the best!
She was a wasted talent at the Emirates. Awesome player with amazing spirit. Just a pity Jonas couldn’t see that !!
Cloe is a good player but she lacks the tactical intelligence against teams who defend in a low block. She thrives more against hight line teams and that’s why she looks borderline world class against teams like Barcelona the season before we Jonas signed her. This is more about Arsenal recruitment slightly miss profiling her rather the Jonas on this occasion but i respect your opinion.
An interesting/insightful analysis of the situation! (thats not a covert insult)
Yeah I completely agree. I think she was largely a bit underwhelming and there is a sense of her just being newer than some of the other options and getting more slack because of that. Clearly she is great against high defensive lines but we don’t play them very often. I am with you, I think this is more of a recruitment miss than a bad sale.
That is a shame, l really liked her 😐
Thanks for the stoppage time left footed postage stamp goal against Manure… Brilliant
Exactly 🙁
….. Also, what will we do with the best football chant ever ? 😮
Frustrating, I’m sure the club would have liked her to stay but the opportunities in the NWSL and being closer to home are too much of a pro over the con of staying and not being a regular starter for Arsenal. I guess she really was just a Beth Mead injury stop gap. It seems we are going into the season with only 3 wingers, I’m fairly sure those 3 players will enter the feared red zone quite early on (considering the load on them the past 12 months), a bad or niggling injury might leave the team short. She… Read more »
I have forgotten Hurtig, though I’m struggling to see how involved she will be this season
what exactly do you want her to want?
Aha!
Difficult to believe we signed a player of that quality as a stop gap for Meado’s injury. Cloe’s personal circumstances aside, I feel Jonas has to take some responsibility for this. He appears to have his favourites and if you are not on his list you struggle for game time. He played Caitlin into the ground last season and Cloe could have shared that load but now we lose another decent player in search of game time when she had so much to offer the Gunners.
I don’t disagree with you, aside her personal wishes and desires Jonas didn’t favour the player, I mentioned her being a Beth Mead stop gap because pretty much as soon as Mead was fit she became a starter and Cloe was left with less and less game time. I would have liked to have seen Lacasse take some of Foord’s minutes who was overplayed and whose own game has seen quite a bit of criticism on here the past season (interesting they went for Caldontay who offers more goals and more assists, will Jonas favour Foord and Mead over Caldontay)… Read more »
We’ve got Foord, Mead, Hurtig, and of course Caldentey often played on the wing for Barca, although she could also play the 10.
There’s always a balance to be struck between having so many good players that people get frustrated and leave through lack of minutes versus enough players to cover injuries. Without a crystal ball, you’re never gonna get it quite right.
I will be sad to see Cloe go but it makes sense for her to play in the NWS.L if she wants to get minutes for Canada and to be nearer to her family.
Cloe Lacasse has been a delight when she was on it wonderful skills and astonishing goals at times. However, given how last season went overall it’s the right decision for both her and the club to let her go for a fee. She wasn’t used enough last season, but also she didn’t always make enough of a difference when she was subbed in. It could all have been so different if we had got her in January 2 seasons ago when we initially bid for her. She would have had a clear run of games and probably been more consistent.… Read more »
Having newly read all the comments with many different opinions, this is the best analysis!
I’m with you there but it’s nice to keep good memories. There was obviously the goal against United plus one of the best football chants ever. However, for me it was her goal away to London City Lionesses. One of the good things about smaller grounds is that you can hear more of what happens on the pitch. From where I was standing this was the best sounding goal, from the boot hitting the ball to the sound a spinning ball makes when it hits the net.
That sounds like a cracker. I was meant to be at that game and the man united Emirates game but personal circumstances meant I couldn’t make it in the end – actually gutted to have not been able to see a cloé goal in person & miss two games where she played a lot too. The circumstances were valid but will always wish I’d been there. That’s life eh!
So sad to see her go! But after the news from Gio, I knew she was the next one. It isn’t always ‘ family’. It is at first business, I’m learning.
So what was the point of her coming? I totally get she wants playing time at the age of 31, so understand her desire to depart to get it. What I don’t understand is who Eidevall thought Lacasse would replace? To me, much of his thinking doesn’t add up. And what I will never get over and always blame him for is the senseless departure of Miedema, particularly to a near rival. No player is bigger than the club, sure, but neither is any manager. Particularly one that presided over our immediate departure from the Champions League and then lose… Read more »
Two things running through my mind about this: I see her lack of playing time and this move happening as a direct result of missing the Champions League last season. Given the performance in 22-23, and against the top WSL teams in 23-24, Jonas has actually done a really good job of building a team capable of competing at the very top levels of women’s football. One small problem – you need to qualify for the very top levels of women’s football before you can prove your worth there! Arsenal’s large squad is great if you want to compete across… Read more »
A crying shame. I personally think on last seasons performances she was better than Foord and Mead. But if your boss doesnt rate you you are stuffed
I’d take Cloe over Foord. Simple
And somehow, Hurtig has outlasted yet another player. How many years did she sign on for exactly?
Also, wouldn’t have minded losing Foord instead of Lacasse although I’m fine with losing both. Think they’re both not starting wingers for a championship winning team and we really do need to upgrade fast. But yeah, another season of Foord winning corners after hitting the first person with her pull backs and crosses.