Remember me
Arsenal Women have already announced five new signings this summer. We take a deep dive into the data behind each player, and what they could bring to the club.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, it was clear that something needed to change at Arsenal Women.
The previous season wasn’t a bad one by any stretch – reaching the UEFA Women’s Champions League semi-finals while also securing a second-place finish in the Women’s Super League is no mean feat.
There were two glaring issues that the board needed to address heading into the new campaign, though. The Arsenal squad of last season was an ageing one, and many players were set to become free agents this summer. A rebuild was necessary.
A lot of key players did end up leaving the club at the start of the summer. These included Beth Mead and Katie McCabe, who joined direct rivals Manchester City and Chelsea, respectively, but also squad players such as Laia Codina and Victoria Pelova.
So, this summer was always expected to be a busy one for Arsenal, and with five signings announced since the start of July, ‘busy’ has turned into somewhat of an understatement.
Here, we go through the data for each of the Gunners’ new arrivals.
Georgia Stanway – Free Transfer From Bayern MunichArsenal’s first signing was in a position that fans were crying out for all last season: a new midfielder, and it came in the form of Bayern Munich and England star Georgia Stanway.
Since Lia Wälti departed the club in 2025 to join Juventus, there has been a big defensive hole in the middle of the pitch. Stanway has arrived to fill that gap.
A familiar face for WSL fans following her previous stint at Manchester City, Stanway’s time in Germany was a major success. Following her arrival in 2022, Bayern have won every Frauen-Bundesliga title, plus two DFB-Pokal Frauen and DFB-Supercup Frauen crowns to boot.
Stanway has been one of Bayern’s most important players of the last four seasons, putting up very impressive numbers from the base of the midfield. She scored 24 Frauen-Bundesliga goals and recorded 19 assists, the eighth-most of any player since her debut.
Since the 2022-23 season, Stanway has played the most successful passes in the opposition’s half (2,919), a staggering 754 more than second-placed Glódís Viggósdóttir (2,165). Her opposition-half total was higher than most players completed across the whole pitch in that time.
It’s a similar story for successful passes ending in the final third, with Stanway’s 1,495 once again comfortably leading the way; Svenja Huth ranks second with 1,077. She is an elite technical midfielder and world-class passer who joins an Arsenal team that completed the most passes in the WSL last season (9,946).
Across the same timeframe in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Stanway ranks fifth for successful passes in the opposition’s half (923) and sixth for successful passes into the final third (469).
Impressively, Stanway is also the Lionesses joint-sixth all-time goalscorer, with 33 in her 93 England appearances, level with Eni Aluko and Karen Carney.
She should be an astute addition to a midfield already so capable on the ball. Stanway’s arrival will also allow for 36-year-old Kim Little to get some rest and conserve her energy for the moments where she is really needed.
Selina Cerci – Free Transfer From HoffenheimSecond to be announced was striker Selina Cerci, who also joined the Gunners on a free transfer from the Frauen-Bundesliga after an impressive spell at Hoffenheim.
Alessia Russo and Stina Blackstenius shared the minutes up front last season, with manager Renée Slegers often deploying them as a duo to get Russo heavily involved in build-up play. Michelle Agyemang is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament tear, so a third option is a welcome addition.
Cerci really found her feet at Hoffenheim. In 43 Frauen-Bundesliga appearances, she scored 32 goals, more than any other player in the league since her arrival in 2024. She also recorded 12 assists, with only four players registering more in that time.
In fact, Cerci’s impressive goal tally was the fourth highest of any player across Europe’s top five leagues in the last two seasons; only Ewa Pajor (41) and Khadija Shaw (33) scored more.
Cerci’s shot-conversion rate of 25.4% was also the fourth highest of any player in the German league (min 10+ goals scored), having unleashed 126 shots. In the same time period, this conversion rate is far higher than that of either Blackstenius (16.7%) or Russo (15.8%), and should Cerci’s clinical finishing continue in England, it could prove a big boost to Arsenal in the coming seasons.
Géraldine Reuteler – Free Transfer From Eintracht FrankfurtArsenal’s third free transfer saw Géraldine Reuteler, an extremely versatile Swiss footballer, make the switch from Eintracht Frankfurt.
Reuteler is a bit of a unicorn when it comes to her profile, and it’s very tricky to pin her down to just one position. Since her arrival at Frankfurt back in 2018, she has played almost everywhere across the pitch.
She spent 28% of her 6,905 minutes at the base of the midfield, but has also operated in more advanced midfield positions, as well as on the right, the left, and as a number nine. A player with such versatility and adaptability is a manager’s dream.
Since the 2018-19 season, Reuteler has consistently ranked around the top spots for various metrics across the Frauen-Bundesliga. In 104 matches, she played 849 successful passes ending in the final third, the third-highest number of any player in the league in that time.
Furthermore, Reuteler managed 25 assists, the eighth-most in the league, and she sat 16th for goals scored with 29. She is far more involved in the overall game than those above her, though, having played 2,616 successful passes in that time. Of those to have scored more than her, the player with the second-most passes is top-scorer Laura Freigang (2,030).
Reuteler also ranked sixth for chances created (136), and her 25 assists were the eighth-most in the league since her debut eight years ago. These impressive numbers, coupled with her extreme versatility, make Reuteler a unique player with a lot to bring to the Arsenal squad.
Ona Batlle – Free Transfer From BarcelonaFull-back Ona Batlle has returned to the WSL after spending three seasons at her childhood club, Barcelona. She had previously represented Manchester United in the English top flight.
Batlle has made the switch from one of the most dominant teams in women’s football history. Since her arrival in 2023, Barcelona have won all three Liga F titles and two Champions League crowns, often making light work of the competition along the way.
Replacing a player like Katie McCabe, who is both an elite defender and attacker, is a hard ask, but Batlle could be an ideal fit. In the Women’s Champions League across the last three seasons, Battle won 43 tackles, the joint-most of any defender (level with Lucy Bronze). Of players to win at least 25 tackles, she ranked second for tackle success (71.7%) and third for possession won (153).
In Liga F, having played for such a ball-dominant team, it’s her creative numbers that really shone through. Batlle created the third-most chances of any defender in the league since 2023-24 (94), and even collected 16 assists along the way – no defender managed more. She also scored nine goals, with only four defenders notching up a better tally.
For an Arsenal team who also enjoy plenty of time on the ball and involve their full-backs in build-up play, Batlle will likely fit like a glove. Her versatility is also a big bonus – she is as comfortable at left-back as she is right-back.
Positionally, it’s been an almost even split for Batlle at Barça, having spent 50% of minutes at right-back and 46% on the left; she even spent some time at left centre-back – much like McCabe during Arsenal’s injury woes last season – demonstrating her ability to adapt.
Arsenal already have one of the best right-backs in the world in Emily Fox at their disposal, so it is expected that Slegers will primarily use Batlle as a right-footed left-back. Regardless, her ability to play on either side will be a big boost in the case of injuries or suspensions.
Lisa Baum – £510,000 From RB LeipzigSo far, Lisa Baum is the only player Arsenal have signed this summer that has required a transfer fee. Baum has joined the club from RB Leipzig for a rumoured £510,000.
The 19-year-old spent just one season at Leipzig, during which she became the youngest player to score at least six goals in a season. Her breakthrough campaign caught the eye of Slegers, who felt she could be not only a star of the future, but also a potentially strong asset to the current squad.
There is a pattern emerging with these new acquisitions: many of them are extremely versatile options, and Baum is no exception. For Leipzig last season, she split her minutes across the right-hand side, proving her capabilities not only going forward, but defensively too. In this sense, she seems a similar profile to Smilla Holmberg, who joined Arsenal during the most recent January transfer window.
Before joining Leipzig, Baum played her football for Hamburger SV, and helped get them promoted from the 2. Frauen Bundesliga in the 2024-25 season. During her time at the club, she made 68 appearances and scored 21 goals.
Compared to her Leipzig teammates last season, Baum completed the most dribbles (43), the second-most successful crosses (24), and managed the second-most successful passes ending in the final third (166). She also won 32 tackles in the 2025-26 season, a tally bettered by just two teammates, Annabel Schasching (41) and Marlene Müller (40).
She may be less of a household name than the Gunners’ other new arrivals, but Baum is an exciting addition to an evolving squad and is sure to develop further under the guidance and tutelage of Arsenal’s experienced senior stars.
Enjoy this? Add Opta Analyst as a preferred source by clicking here.
Enjoy this? Subscribe to our football newsletter to receive exclusive weekly content. You should also follow our social accounts over on X, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.