Squad Shake-Up
Arsenal Women finished second in the 2025-26 Women’s Super League but fell short of silverware, missing out on the inaugural FIFA Champions Cup. The club responded with a summer overhaul that saw 11 players depart, including club legends Beth Mead and Katie McCabe, who joined Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. In return, Arsenal signed Spain full-back Ona Batlle, England midfielder Georgia Stanway, Switzerland midfielder Géraldine Reuteler and German forward Selina Cerci. The new signings bring experience and a lower age profile to a squad that needs fresh energy.
Managerial Continuity
Renée Slegers enters her second full season at the helm. The 37-year-old stepped in as interim after Jonas Eidevall’s exit and has already guided the team to a second-place finish, securing Champions League qualification. Slegers now has the opportunity to mould the squad in her own style, building on the momentum of last season’s strong performance.
Ambition and Quotes
Technical director Jodie Taylor said, “We’re in a great place of course, but we would have liked to have won more trophies last season and that is our huge ambition coming into this year. I’ll flat out say it: we want to win the league and want to take that next step.” The club’s focus is on ending a seven-year wait for a league title.
Star Signing
Georgia Stanway, 27, is a two-time Euro champion and a physical midfielder described by herself as “ruthless and robust”. Her arrival is expected to add steeliness to Arsenal’s spine, a quality the team has been missing.
Statistical Edge
Arsenal led Opta’s expected points metric for the 2025-26 season and lost only one match. They drew six games, most against Manchester City, and expected goal data suggested they should have won three of those draws. The head-to-head results with City proved decisive.
Injury Concerns
The club’s hopes for a breakthrough were hampered by ACL injuries to 20-year-old Michelle Agyemang and 19-year-old Katie Reid. Both players are preparing to return after almost a year off the pitch. Their reintegration will need careful management.
Off-Field Growth
Arsenal’s latest accounts show revenue rose £6.5 million to £21.5 million for the year ending May 2025. Matchday revenue was just under £6 million from an average attendance of 29,833 over eight Emirates Stadium games. Broadcast revenue jumped to over £2 million, more than double the £956,000 of 2024, while commercial income grew from £649,000 to £1.77 million. Group income increased from £9.3 million to £11.85 million, more than half of total revenue.
Home Ground Strategy
All WSL home games and European knockout matches will be played at the Emirates Stadium. Domestic cup games and Champions League league-phase matches will remain at Meadow Park. The club has outgrown Meadow Park for cup and European fixtures, but scheduling around the men’s team makes Emirates impractical for those matches.
Final Thought
“It’s like you’re cooking the most beautiful recipe and then you add the final small ingredients that make the marginal difference, that elevate, and you create something that’s beautiful and that you can relish and enjoy. That’s what we’re in the process of.” - Lotte Wubben-Moy.
