Arsenal Women’s Pre-Season: Late Win and Squad Updates
Arsenal Women’s summer stepped up a gear this week: a late win, a young talent moving on, and Renée Slegers sharpening the edges of a squad with serious title ambitions.
Smith’s stoppage-time sting against Paris FC
Pre-season friendlies rarely crackle, but this one refused to drift quietly away.
At Mangata Developments Stadium in Borehamwood, Arsenal Women looked set to be held by Paris FC. The clock ticked into stoppage time, the game stuck at 0-0, and it felt like one of those afternoons that would be filed under “fitness exercise” rather than “statement win”.
Then Olivia Smith changed the mood.
In the 91st minute, the Canadian forward – signed last summer and still carving out her place in this team – cut inside and picked out the far corner. One clean strike, 1-0 Arsenal, and a friendly suddenly carried a jolt of competitive edge.
It was exactly the sort of moment managers love in pre-season: late concentration, late quality, late reward. Slegers used the game to spread minutes across her squad, pushing players closer to full match sharpness while testing combinations and structure against strong European opposition.
She was satisfied with parts of what she saw but didn’t hide that there is work still to do before the real thing starts. Leah Williamson also drew positives from the performance as Arsenal continue to build towards a campaign where the WSL title is very much the target, not a distant dream.
The win over Paris FC won’t define their season. It does, though, hint at a group already willing to push until the final whistle, even in August.
Vivienne Lia departs for Eintracht Frankfurt
While one young player grabbed the headlines on the pitch, another quietly closed a chapter.
On Friday, Arsenal confirmed that 19-year-old winger Vivienne Lia has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent deal. Lia arrived in the club’s academy setup in 2021 at the age of 14 and climbed through the youth ranks, one of the many prospects shaped in north London.
Now her development continues in Germany.
Her exit slots into a busy summer of ins and outs around Slegers’ squad. The rebuild is not dramatic, but it is deliberate. The manager has been shaping her group piece by piece; with Lia moving on, the focus leans ever more towards refining what she has rather than reshuffling who she has.
Every departure tweaks the balance. Every arrival raises fresh questions. For Slegers, the puzzle is nearly complete. The next task is to turn it into a winning picture.
Next stop: Charlton, then Brighton
There isn’t much time to breathe.
Arsenal are back at Mangata Developments Stadium on Wednesday, 26 August, hosting Charlton Athletic Women in their next pre-season outing. Another chance to experiment, another chance to drill patterns, another chance for fringe players to make a case before the curtain lifts.
Those “final details” Slegers keeps referencing? Charlton is where many of them will be tested.
Then comes the real thing. Arsenal open their Women’s Super League campaign away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday, 6 September. By then, the rotation will slow, the line-ups will harden, and the questions about this “new-look” Arsenal will start demanding proper answers.
Pre-season is almost out of road. The title race is waiting.
