Following the signing of Smilla Holmberg from Hammarby IF on Monday, we spoke to sports journalist Amanda Zaza.
She writes for Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet and has followed Holmberg’s progression throughout her career.
Asked for her initial reaction to the 19-year-old full back joining us, she said: “My initial reaction was that I wasn't surprised. I knew that she had gone a couple of years ago, I'm not sure exactly how many, but she had gone for a week and trained with Olympique Lyonnais a couple of years ago when she was still quite young, just to get that kind of experience.
“So knowing what she's done with Hammarby and the steps that she's taken lately, I wasn't surprised that she was on a lot of different clubs' radars, especially also with Arsenal and the way that they work with bringing up talent and letting them thrive in that environment. I wasn't surprised that she ended up choosing Arsenal with the project that's going on.
“She's a right back that likes to be high up in the pitch. She's quite an attacking player. I think those are her strengths a lot, where she likes to go up higher up in the field and contribute to goals. She's really grown over the past couple of years, getting more playing time with Hammarby and becoming a starting player there, as well as securing her spot with Sweden.
“I think she's really shown that she's somebody you can trust and she doesn't back out for a challenge. She's a quick player and quite physical as well. She doesn't get scared from everything that happens around her, especially if you look back at the Euros and the penalties. She doesn't let that bring her down or set her back at all.”
Holmberg’s arrival means there will be strong competition for the right-back position, where Emily Fox has been reliable and consistent since her arrival in 2024.
“I think that Arsenal will definitely help them to have that kind of competition in the squad,” Amanda continued. “Knowing that your spot isn't 100% secure and that you’re not guaranteed to play week-in and week-out, I think that really helps both the team and the players that are fighting for that spot.
“I really do think Smilla is one of those players that can come in and actually challenge Emily for that starting position, knowing that she is somebody who will adapt to the environment and to the league and will kind of take that head-on and she won't back down. I think that's kind of what she's shown us here in Sweden, that she's there to compete.”
At UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, Smilla was the youngest player in a Sweden squad that finished top of Group C with three wins from three, including a 4-1 success over Germany that Holmberg scored in, alongside Stina Blackstenius and former Gunner Lina Hurtig.
“Obviously, in Hammarby she was a fan-favourite, as they knew that she’d played in the team since she was very little and just gone up through the ranks, as well as coming in and playing for a youth national team alongside Bella Andersson, who's currently in Real Madrid,” Amanda said. “The fans have really taken her on and she's become a fan-favourite quite quickly.
“Everybody just really likes her and they think she's great. Like Rosa Kafaji, she came up through AIK and then BK Hacken and then she left to go to Arsenal and she did well with Sweden and became a fan-favourite there as well. The fans really do like them.
“She has a lot of experience, especially international, also coming into Champions League with Hammarby and then playing for the national team. I think it's harder with American players or English players or even Italian or Spanish. You have some players who manage to get in and get that experience quite early, but for her she got it even sooner and I think that really speaks for her.”
Smilla’s move to Arsenal represents the first move overseas in her career, but Amanda doesn’t think it will take too long for her to settle into her new surroundings. “I think it might take some adjustment, but when you look at all the Swedes that have gone to English teams, you have quite a Swedish colony in London right now with a lot of players in Tottenham and also Chelsea, but some in Crystal Palace as well,” she explained. “So I think she'll be fine to adapt to that, knowing that she has that kind of safety net around her.
“Obviously, knowing Kyra Cooney-Cross and Stina Blackstenius, who she played with at Hammarby, as well as Cathinka Tandberg who went to Tottenham, who she played with, and some other players that she's played with in the national team. So I don't think that's going to be too much of an adjustment for her. She's quite a laid-back, cool person, so I think she'll handle this pretty well.
“It's a lot bigger, obviously. London's really big, but Stockholm, I think, obviously, she grew up there. I think the adjustment will be now you don't have your family just five minutes away or 10, 15, 30. I think that will probably be the biggest adjustment for a young player.”
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