Arsenal Women: Trailblazers

Arsenal Women face Paris FC on Sunday in their first watchable pre-season friendly of the summer — and after wins over AC Milan and Manchester City behind closed doors, we can finally see for ourselves what Renée Slegers has been building. I take a proper look at Paris FC, the players Arsenal need to be aware of and why this should be a much more serious pre-season test than the word “friendly” mi...

We’ve spent most of Arsenal Women’s pre-season trying to work out what Renée Slegers is building with seven new signings. Rather helpfully, Renée has now told us. In a fascinating new interview with Arsenal, Renée explains why recruitment this summer has been so precise, why Arsenal looked at the person behind each player as well as the footballer, how the dynamics and leadership within the squad...

Arsenal Women have beaten Manchester City 2-1 in another behind-closed-doors pre-season friendly, and this one gives us quite a bit more to think about than the scoreline alone. Stina Blackstenius opened the scoring from a Chloe Kelly corner, Lauren Hemp equalised just before half-time, and then late on Selina Cerci put Lisa Baum through on goal for the winner. But the interesting part for me is w...

How good is Selina Cerci, and who exactly have Arsenal Women signed? When Selina arrived at Arsenal this summer, the headline numbers made her fairly easy to understand. She’d scored 16 Bundesliga goals in 2024/25 to finish as the league’s top scorer, then another 16 the following season. She’s a German international, she’s quick, physical, strong in the air and she scores a lot of goals. Then I s...

There’s a point in the BBC interviews where Lotte Wubben-Moy says, very plainly, that Arsenal Women are going for the WSL league title this year, and the more I listened to everybody else around her, the more I thought this doesn’t sound like one player getting carried away in pre-season. It sounds like this Arsenal group knows exactly where it is now. In this episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazer...

Arsenal Women concluded their La Manga training camp with a 3-2 defeat to AC Milan in their second behind-closed-doors friendly of pre-season — but there was considerably more to this game than the scoreline suggests. In this episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers , Roberto Revilla goes through Arsenal’s official match report and looks at what we can actually take from the game, rather than attemp...

Arsenal Women are in La Manga as preparations for the 2026/27 season continue - and apparently we needed to establish whether Leah Williamson actually got on the plane. She did. We can calm down. In this episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers , I’m catching up on exactly where Arsenal are in pre-season, what we know about the training camp in Spain and what comes next, including the two confirmed...

Arsenal Women are back, and pre-season begins with a 2-1 comeback win over Crystal Palace at the Sobha Realty Training Centre. But judging by some of the reaction online, you could be forgiven for thinking Arsenal had just lost their opening game of the WSL season. In my first Trailblazers match report, I use the official accounts from both Arsenal and Crystal Palace to piece together what actuall...

Who is Alessia Russo beyond the goals, the trophies and the headlines? In Episode 25 of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers , Roberto Revilla explores the journey behind Arsenal’s number 23, from her early years in Kent and breakthrough with England to becoming one of the world’s finest centre-forwards. If you’re new to Arsenal Women, or simply want to get to know the players beyond what you see on a matc...

Arsenal Women’s new third kit is here, Chloe Kelly has spoken openly about needing a physical and mental reset this summer, and Arsenal have quietly made an important coaching change behind the scenes. In this episode of Arsenal Women Trailblazers, I explain why the tailor in me completely changed his mind about Arsenal’s new third kit, why Nikita Runnacles’ appointment as Arsenal’s new set-piece...

The Women’s Super League fixture list is finally here, and the new season suddenly feels very real. In this week’s episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers, I look through Arsenal’s 2026/27 fixture list, discuss where the biggest tests and opportunities lie, and explain why I’m feeling optimistic about the campaign ahead. I also say goodbye to Laila Harbert following her move to San Diego Wave, refl...

Arsenal Women striker Jess Gale has already scored goals during loan spells with Portsmouth and Bristol City, represented England’s Young Lionesses and started attracting interest ahead of another potentially important season in her development. With the 19-year-old now heavily linked with a loan move to Newcastle United Women, I take a closer look at her journey from Charlton and Arsenal’s academ...

Arsenal Women’s pre-season is officially underway and, suddenly, the new season feels very real. In this episode I react to the launch of the new 2026/27 away kit, the players returning to the Sobha Realty Training Centre and the first images of Renée Slegers’ rebuilt squad training together. I also answer your questions from Instagram, including whether Misa Rodríguez will immediately become Arse...

Arsenal Women have confirmed the signing of Spanish international goalkeeper Misa Rodríguez, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in European football and a player many supporters have wanted to see at the club for months. In this episode I look beyond the announcement itself to explore why this transfer makes so much sense for Arsenal, why elite clubs need genuine competition in every position a...

In today's Arsenal Women news, Rosa Kafaji has officially left Arsenal Women for London City Lionesses, while 18-year-old Danish goalkeeper Isabella “Isa” Damm has become Arsenal’s latest summer signing. In this episode I reflect on Rosa’s departure, why I think her move was probably the right one for both player and club and why I believe some of the criticism aimed at Renée Slegers has been unfa...

Rosa Kafaji’s departure to London City Lionesses has reignited a familiar debate amongst Arsenal supporters, but as always I want to encourage fans to ask different questions to the obvious when any Arsenal Women news breaks. Some sections of the fanbase have expressed disappointment that Rosa has been allowed to leave but the club elected to give Caitlin Foord a two year contract extension. But i...

Following yesterday's Arsenal Women news, many people asked, “Who is Lisa Baum?” I found myself asking a different question. Why did Arsenal Women decide that a 19-year-old was the right player to invest in when the club is trying to win the WSL and Champions League this coming season? In this episode of the Arsenal Women: Trailblazers Podcast , I explore what Lisa Baum’s signing tells us about Ar...

Is Ona Batlle really Katie McCabe’s replacement as most Arsenal Women news seems to be labelling it? It’s the obvious comparison. Katie McCabe leaves Arsenal after more than a decade, Ona Batlle arrives from Barcelona, both are elite full-backs and both can play on the left side. But I don’t think that’s the actual conversation we should be having. It’s just the easy one. In this episode of Trailb...

More Arsenal Women News and Ona Batlle is officially an Arsenal Women player! And yes, that alone is exciting. But this episode is not just a “great, we’ve signed someone from Barcelona” reaction, because everyone can do that bit. The more interesting question is what Batlle’s arrival actually tells us about the Arsenal Women side Renée Slegers is trying to build. In this episode of Trailblazers:...

Arsenal Women: Trailblazers is back with another breaking Arsenal Women news episode on a huge day for the women’s game. Roberto reacts to Arsenal Women’s latest midfield signing as Swiss international Geraldine Reuteler joins permanently from Eintracht Frankfurt, and then turns to the WSL bombshell of the day as London City Lionesses finally confirm the signing of Alexia Putellas from Barcelona....

Arsenal Women: Trailblazers welcomes a very special guest as Roberto is joined by Demian Arriaga, creator and former host of That Arsenal Women Podcast and a regular voice on Highbury Squad’s Arsenal Women coverage. In this episode, Demian reflects on his journey as an Arsenal Women supporter, how players like Daniëlle van de Donk and Vivianne Miedema drew him deeper into the women’s game, and why...

Selina Cerci is officially an Arsenal player - and the Bundesliga’s most prolific forward over the last two seasons is now part of our front line. In this episode of Arsenal Women: Trailblazers I dive into: •Selina’s journey from Kiel and youth football in Germany to Bayern Munich, Werder Bremen, Turbine Potsdam, Köln and Hoffenheim •Her ridiculous goalscoring record at Hoffenheim, including back‑...

Georgia Stanway is officially an Arsenal player - and I’m absolutely buzzing! In today’s breaking‑news episode, recorded right after the club dropped THAT reveal video, I talk through: •My live reaction to the announcement and why this is the best reveal video Arsenal have ever done •Georgia’s first day at Sobha Realty Training Centre and her new number 4 shirt •Key quotes from her first interview...

Arsenal have dropped some breaking news: four players are changing squad numbers ahead of the 26/27 season, and the reaction has already started. In this short update I walk through: •Who’s switching numbers and where they’re moving to •How fans are already feeling about one change in particular •My own take on what the new numbers say about roles and status in the squad •The significance of it be...

Arsenal are on the verge of something really exciting up front. In this episode I break down what Selina Cerci and Lisa Baum could bring to Arsenal Women, and how they plug straight into what we already have with Caitlin Foord, Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Chloe Kelly and Olivia Smith. We chat through: •Why Cerci looks like a proper “old‑school nine” with modern work‑rate •What makes Baum su...