Arsenal Women have undergone a significant squad overhaul ahead of the 2026-27 Women's Super League season, with 11 players departing and seven arriving, as the club aims to end a seven-year wait for a league title.
Last season was a disappointment for Arsenal in terms of silverware, with the inaugural Fifa Champions Cup failing to satisfy the hunger to build on the Champions League success of 2025. This summer's changes include the departures of club legends Beth Mead and Katie McCabe, who moved to Manchester City and Chelsea respectively, and the arrivals of Spain full-back Ona Batlle, England midfielder Georgia Stanway, Switzerland midfielder Géraldine Reuteler, and German forward Selina Cerci.
New-Look Squad
Renée Slegers has had a full pre-season for the first time, having secured Champions League league phase qualification through a second-place WSL finish. After two slow starts to WSL campaigns, including four draws and a defeat in the opening nine matches last year, a summer without a major international tournament or Champions League qualifiers gives Arsenal no excuses.
The title race will probably be tighter this year, with City also competing in the Champions League and other sides investing shrewdly. "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," said technical director Jodie Taylor. "I'll flat out say it: we want to win the league and want to take that next step."
Financial Picture
Arsenal's latest accounts showed revenue was up by £6.5m, to £21.5m, for the year ending May 2025. Average attendance at the Emirates Stadium for eight games was 29,833, with matchday revenue of just under £6m. Broadcast revenue was up to more than £2m, more than double the £956,000 of 2024, and commercial revenue increased from £649,000 to £1.77m. Group income increased from £9.3m to £11.85m, more than half of overall revenue.
Key Players and Breakthrough Hopes
Georgia Stanway, a two-time Euro winner, is seen as a key signing, bringing exceptional talent and steeliness to the midfield. The 27-year-old is described as "ruthless and robust."
Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid, who had breakthrough seasons cut short by anterior cruciate ligament injuries, are preparing to return to action after almost a year off the pitch.
"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," said Lotte Wubben-Moy. "That's what we're in the process of."
All WSL home games and European knockout games will take place at the Emirates Stadium, while domestic cup games and Champions League league-phase matches will be played at Meadow Park.
