Arsenal Women Confirm Signing of Olivia Smith

Arsenal Women have confirmed the signing of 20-year-old Canadian winger Olivia Smith from Liverpool. Smith’s transfer is a new world record in women’s football and she becomes the first player in the sport to be signed for over £1m. It is thought to be a four-year contract. Arseblog News reported on Arsenal’s interest in the player on the Arsenal Women Arsecast in June.

Arsenal identified Smith as a target for this summer some months ago, Liverpool were firm from the very beginning that it would require a world record fee for them to contemplate a sale and the Reds rebuffed a number of bids from other clubs that were below their valuation. Liverpool’s stance on the price never moved and Arsenal decided to meet it to beat the previous world record transfer- the £900,000 Chelsea paid San Diego Wave for centre-back Naomi Girma in January.

It’s a third consecutive summer on the move for Smith, who joined Sporting in Portugal in the summer of 2023 and she scored 16 goals in 28 appearances in Liga BPI. Last summer, she moved to Liverpool for around £200,000 and impressed with nine goals in 25 appearances, she was voted Liverpool’s Player of the Season and is a nominee for PFA WSL Young Player of the Year.

“It’s a privilege and an honour to sign for Arsenal,” said Smith. “It’s my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I’m excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal. The atmosphere the supporters create at Emirates Stadium is incredible and I can’t wait to have that behind me now.”

Director of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley added: “We’re thrilled to bring Olivia to Arsenal. She’s one of the most talented young players in the game and has huge potential for further development here at the club. On behalf of everyone at Arsenal, I’d like to welcome Olivia to Arsenal and congratulate her on this special moment.”

Head Coach Renée Slegers added: “Olivia is an exciting young player and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal. We’ve been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a young age. I know she has a level of ambition that matches our own and we’re looking forward to working with her as she continues to grow at the club.”

Smith will wear the number 15 shirt and she becomes the fourth signing of the summer after Taylor Hinds, Chloe Kelly and Anneke Borbe. For additional reaction to Smith’s signing, this week’s Arsenal Women Newsletter looks in-depth at the signing. Last week, I was also joined by Clive Palmer from the Arsenal Vision podcast to discuss the signing on the Arsenal Women Arsecast too.

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