Arsenal boss Renee Slegers says that she is delighted with the integration of record signing Olivia Smith following her £1m move from Liverpool. Smith’s talent was obvious from her debut when she scored a sensational goal against London City Lionesses, the first of seven she has scored so far this season.
In recent weeks she has played upfront, having already featured on both flanks. She opened the scoring in Bromley last weekend. Arseblog News asked Slegers whether she has a sense of Smith really looking like a part of the team in recent weeks.
‘If you look at Olivia Smith I was so happy she joined us because she’s taken us to the to the next level. She’s contributing with new skills and you always have to, when you go to a new club, new environment, you have to get to know new people, new methodologies and new partnerships on the pitch, getting used to ideas at at the start.
‘You might be a lot in thinking mode and then at some point that’s not so much thinking anymore there’s actions without thinking, and I think that’s where I think Liv is at at the moment. So we’re really happy with that. We knew it was gonna take some time for new players to adjust to our environment, but if you look at the impact that she’s had from the start of season, it was there from the start, but I think she’s really finding her feet now.
‘Players understand her, we play each other too, to each other’s strengths, and we understand her. We have seen different sides of her as well. Like you said, we’ve asked to play in different roles and also in the nine left right side. Different things we ask her to do, looking at where her qualities are and trying to put her in those positions as much as possible. So we have been learning as well during the season and I think that’s a beautiful sight.
‘We bring Liv as a wide forward really good in one V one moments if you saw the way she played for Liverpool. But there’s so many other sides to her game, which we’re now exploring and trying to put into the team in the best way possible. She’s been brilliant and I’m happy that she’s performing well and it’s credit to her and hard work but also credit to the team.’
Smith led the team for interceptions and regains against London City Lionesses last weekend and five of LCL’s nine fouls in the game were on her. Slegers says that hunger to win the ball back comes naturally to the Canadian.
‘I think that that’s quite natural to her, and that’s, of course, what we liked about her as well, bringing Liv in. Not only the qualities that she has on the ball and her athleticism. It’s also the hard work that she’s willing to put in and in out of possession work.
‘So in our press, discipline and in mid and low block, but also in the counter pressure and she, her intensity to do that and humility to do that in combination with her physical qualities, her being so explosive and quick. Makes her a very successful counterpresser and she’s done that really well. You could see it in the London City game. She had a lot of counter pressure regains.’
You can read our full analysis of Smith’s performance against LCL [here](https://arseblog.news/2026/03/analysis-olivia-smith-is-too-hot-to-handle-for-london-city-lionesses/).