When it was revealed that Leah Williamson would miss the start of the new Women's Super League season, most assumed Lotte Wubben-Moy or Laia Codina would take her place in the heart of Arsenal's defence. Wubben-Moy came into the campaign fresh off the back of a new contract and a role in England's Euro 2025 triumph, while Codina's status as a key starter in Spain's World Cup win in 2023 tells you the level she can reach. And yet, both have been usurped by 18-year-old Katie Reid.
The talented teen has been on the brink of a first-team breakthrough for a couple of years now, catching the eye in last summer's pre-season tour of the United States, just weeks after Williamson had waxed lyrical about her as a speaker at Oxford Union. "She's exceptional," the England captain said. "She will take my shirt one day."
In the first two weeks of the new season, that's exactly what Reid has done, replacing Williamson in the Arsenal XI for wins over London City Lionesses and West Ham in a perfect start to the WSL campaign for the Gunners.
She might not have the experience of Wubben-Moy and Codina but the Arsenal academy product is more than justifying her selection and showing just why head coach Renee Slegers has given her such a big opportunity.