Arsenal stars at the Women's Euros
Arsenal stars at the Women's Euros
By Matthew Elliott
After a disappointing end to the Barclays FA Women’s Super League season with Jonas Eidevall’s Arsenal narrowly missing out on the title to Chelsea, attention now switches to this summer’s home European Championships.
Sarina Wiegman has named a provisional 28-player squad for the home Euros that kick off in early July, but unfortunately it doesn’t include Arsenal ace Jordan Knobbs after the midfielder picked up another untimely injury which has ruled her out of contention.
The squad is captained by Gunners star Leah Williamson after she was given the armband due to the injury doubts surrounding former skipper Steph Houghton of Manchester City, although she is still included in the provisional group.
The Lionesses have three warm-up fixtures in June against Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland before the main action gets underway, with the final at Wembley already a sell-out.
Here we take a look at the Gunners hoping to take England all the way this summer.
Leah Williamson
Given the honour of the captaincy, Leah Williamson is set to thrive this summer after another commanding season in the red shirt of Arsenal.
After announcing her decision, Wiegman said: “Leah has been a great leader for us and I know she will continue to set the example we need in her work on and off the pitch.”
A versatile operator, the 25-year-old is equally adept at the back and in midfield and will provide stability to the Lionesses line-up.
Williamson played 18 WSL matches this term, taking the Gunners to an agonising second place while chipping in with two goals and three assists and will be an integral part of Wiegman’s plans this summer.
Lotte Wubben-Mooy
A centre-back who can also play in holding midfield, Lotte Wubben-Mooy has excelled for Arsenal since her return to the club in 2020 after a stint in America with North Carolina Tar Heels.
Wubben-Mooy received her first senior England cap in September 2020 and the North Londoner also has big tournament experience having represented Team GB at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics where they crashed out in the quarter-finals against Australia.
The imposing 23-year-old is very good on the ball and will be pushing hard for a starting place come the opening group game against Austria.
Beth Mead
Prolific goalscorer Beth Mead was a shoo-in for the England squad with her ability to play across the frontline.
Arsenal may have missed out on the WSL trophy but it was not down to Mead who bagged 11 goals and six assists in 22 league games.
The 27-year-old is also in fine form for her country having scored her third international hat-trick in the 10-0 win over North Macedonia last month and is set to play a starring role this summer.
Nikita Parris
Experienced striker Nikita Parris completes the set of Arsenal players representing England this summer.
The 28-year-old has just finished her first season with the Gunners after returning to her homeland following a successful stint with Lyon.
And earlier this month she became the fourth Arsenal woman to notch 50 goals in the WSL after netting against Aston Villa.
Parris has spent plenty of time on the bench of late and could be used as a super sub by Wiegman when she needs to inject some pace and energy into games late on.
Image Credit: Getty Images
