Arsenal defender Jen Beattie has extended her contract with the club. The Scottish international’s previous deal expired this summer and the 31-year-old will extend.
With Simone Boye likely to leave and Anna Patten to join Aston Villa on loan next season Beattie will continue to provide back-up to Rafaelle, Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
However, Beattie will have a role beyond her playing duty, Jen will undertake a mentor role with the club’s academy players, lending her experience to the junior players at Arsenal. She will also undertake a role within the sponsorship and partnerships team.
Jen is undertaking her second spell at the club, having represented Arsenal from 2009 until 2013. She had spells with Montpellier, Manchester City and a loan spell with Melbourne City before returning to North London in 2019.
💬 “Jen Beattie is my hero.” @leahcwilliamson ❤️ pic.twitter.com/fRKGGAsirz
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) December 19, 2021
“I’ve really enjoyed the past three seasons, but I’ve still got so much to achieve as part of this club and I’m excited to extend,” said Jen. “This is the club that gave me my first real opportunity in football – I was an 18-year-old kid coming down here initially and obviously I’ve gone on and played elsewhere in between, but to be a part of it now… it’s close to home and it’s a special club. Being a part of the players and the staff we have, I really feel this is a club going in the right direction.”
Head Coach Jonas Eidevall added: “I’m very happy that Jen will be staying with us. Her experience and professionalism are so important for us as a squad and I know she will continue to make a key contribution both on and off the pitch, with the first team and with the young players in our academy set-up.”
Head of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley said: “Jen knows this club inside out so we’re delighted that she has signed a new contract. As well as being an integral member of our playing squad, Jen will also spend time mentoring our academy players, and we have no doubt that she will bring the same dedication and drive to this role as we are used to seeing on the field of play.”
Really like the extra aspects of the new contracts for some of the players. This ambassador/mentorship side of things feels really valuable, in the same way the community side of things in Lotte’s contract extension was.
I love that photo of Leah and Jen in the embedded IG post. So special.
So true! And in this case it keeps a strong character with bags of experience involved. Go Jen, well done AWFC.
Yes really pleased she’s staying too. The extra roles she will perform are a great idea and show the club has commitment to the women’s game and that makes me happy 😊
I’ve got so much respect for what she had to overcome as a person with her health and I understand how a big role model she is, but I gotta be honest. She’s not played well at Arsenal. She was our worst player of the season, no matter how harsh it may sounds. If we want to develop women’s football we need to be honest about the players performance on the pitch. Otherwise we are sugarcoating the truth and not raising the standards. At Arsenal, the club that is big and still wanna go higher in Europe we should demand… Read more »
Jen Beattie has been brilliant at Arsenal overall but she did have a mare at times last season when her lack of pace was exposed, that is fair to say. However, class is permanent, form is temporary, and I think that she will be a very useful squad player. If we were spending money to bring her in, or keeping Boye instead, I would be more concerned. She’s our fourth choice centre back – could we realistically do better? Genuinely asking. I am one of the advocates for a big squad, but central defence is not a position where you… Read more »
The problem of Jen being exposed for pace was our own making. She reads the game well and is a solid defender but we know tat if she has to turn and run back from the half way line she will lose the foot race and so do our opposition. So the simple solution is either Jen stays by our 18 yard line as the last defender so everything is in front of her or if she has gone up for a corner, for example, the other centre back or Wally stays in a defensive position as cover for a… Read more »
Exactly, you just have to adapt the way you play where circumstances dictate.
A little surprised by the headline when most people were expecting Jen to leave this summer but reading the extra duties she is taking on it is understandable.
You couldn’t wish for a better ambassador or someone to instil “The Arsenal” way to the academy players.
This is so encouraging for the future development of AWFC. It is brilliant that Jen’s experience and qualities are to be utilised beyond her still valuable playing role as a 4th CB in the squad.
Maybe when her playing days are over this role with the Academy can see her grow into a “Pers Mertesaker” position for the girls.
Good story.
Think we will still sign another CB seeing the Patten loan.
Or maybe DM who can play CB as well.
The latter makes a lot of sense. Definitely could use a DM, and one that could also play CB would be ideal.
The ideal candidate for that DM/CB back-up? One Lia Walti……or if you looked it the other way round CB/DM back-up. How about the England captain? Look’s like she will be DM in the Euros.