Image courtesy of Arsenal.com
Hello, Arsenal Women aficionados!
The winter break is still on, but the Arsenal world doesn’t stop. A couple of days ago, the Club announced the signing of Swedish right-back Smilla Holmberg from Hammarby IF to land one of the most exciting prospects in European football.
The 19yo defender, who is already a full international and was part of the Sweden team that reached the quarterfinals at EURO 2025, will provide cover for Emily Fox at right-back and fill the gap created by Laura Wienroither’s departure and Katie Reid’s long-term injury.
An attacking, athletic defender, Smilla Holmberg should fit in rather seamlessly thanks to her strength, power, pace and size, and could go as far as challenging Emily Fox, one of the finest fullbacks in the world, for a place in the starting XI.
A willing, brave ball-carrier, the former Hammarby player excels when given the opportunity to roam between the right channel and take on opponents to create overloads on the flank;although defending is not believed to be his strongest trait, her physicality makes Smilla Holmberg a very capable 1v1 defenderand her recovery pace is quite impressive.
At 19yo, the Swede has already amassed a lot of minutes and played on the biggest stages, both with Hammarby and the Sweden national team, which will prove very useful in the second half of the season, when the games will become more important and the stakes much higher.
Image courtesy of Arsenal.com
Assuming she will integrate with the team very quickly, Smilla Holmberg could prove to be a massive addition for Renée Slegers and the team, who still have four competitions to contend with. As mentioned earlier, it will take a lot to dislodge Emily Fox from the right-back spot, but having a capable, willing alternative could boost our chances to make deep runs in the cups and push as hard as possible in the league through players’ rotation and turnover.
Coveted by several top clubs in Europe, Smilla Holmberg chose Arsenal to continue her development and fulfil her career targets, which should be seen as a big vote of confidence given how the club – although reigning champions in the UWCL –struggled to displace Chelsea at the top of the English pyramid and failed to mount a title challenge in recent years. Despiterumours of unhappiness and discontent in the dressing room,and lack of leadership from the coach and the upper management, the club managed to lure her to the Emirates Stadium, for which Clare Whatley and her team deserve credit.
Wearing her favourite number 31, the former Hammarby player could make her debut as soon as Saturday, when Arsenal Women will host Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium – although on the bench. With six games scheduled between January 10th and the end of the month, there will be plenty of opportunities to see Smilla Holmberg in her new kit and watch her from close-up.
In the meantime, let’s welcome Smilla Holmberg to the club and hope she will hit the ground running – something she’s very good at!
We will talk again on Monday, after the first game after the winter break.
Speak to you soon!
Italian living in Switzerland, Gooner since mid-nineties, when the Gunners defeated my hometown team, in Copenhagen. I started my own blog and podcast (www.clockenditalia.com) after after some experiences with Italian websites and football magazines. Covering Arsenal Women with the occasional rant about the boys.
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