It has been widely reported already that Arsenal are going to undergo a summer of transformation this year. The club, according to my information, had hoped to parcel out some of that work over the summer of 2025 too but the departure of contracted players relies on more than just one stakeholder.
So it goes that big players will depart this summer and that will be the case for more than one player. It’s going to be tough for some supporters, no doubt, especially since the WSL has multiple clubs now capable of paying good salaries and we will likely see beloved players wearing the colours of other WSL clubs and come face to face with them next season.
Georgia Stanway, Geraldine Reuteler and Ona Batlle are all likely to join and that won’t be the extent of Arsenal’s summer shopping list. With so many players out of contract this summer, the club has to strike a balance between evolution and revolution. For example, retaining at least one of Beth Mead and Cailtin Foord would be a sensible way forward.
You don’t want to be shopping for two wingers in the same summer. Likewise, I think Steph Catley really ought to remain (assuming she wants to) given her continued importance in the starting line-up. A longer term left centre-back should really be on the shopping list but that doesn’t mean a member of the leadership group and reliable performer like Catley should be discarded. She has strong partnerships with Williamson and Wubben-Moy which should not be sacrificed easily.
This week, Arsenal announced that Stina Blackstenius has signed a new deal with Arsenal, which we understand to be for two years. Much like Catley (hopefully!), retaining Stina is a total no-brainer. Michelle Agyemang is coming up on the rails to add to the striker group but her ACL injury obtained in October has stalled her development and it would be a big ask for her to fully step into Stina’s sizeable shoes immediately off the back of recovery.
I have no information to this end whatsoever but wouldn’t be surprised if Agyemang goes back out on loan next season. She has really made a mark as a ‘Plan B’ type striker to throw on from the bench but her talent ought to develop beyond that role and that will probably only happen with a year out on loan playing regularly, as was the plan this season. Arsenal wanted her to benefit from the experience of starting regularly so that she could be a Plan A striker as well as a Plan B striker.
Retaining Blackstenius makes a lot of sense, firstly, because the chance (and the cost) of finding another striker willing to compete with Alessia Russo, who has signed a new deal and is coming into her prime years, would be very difficult indeed. It is difficult to think of a striker in Europe who has come close to Blackstenius’ record as a game changer.
But another reason for retaining Blackstenius is that she has shown herself to be more than a Plan B option this season (and her value as a Plan B was already well worth her contract money!) Her all round play has improved markedly (I am convinced her left-footed volley against Liverpool back in December would not have happened in any other season) and she has shown high value as a starter too. Her number of offsides has even halved this season compared to last!
She started both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea and was slated to start against Manchester City in February until injury intervened. Clearly she thrives against higher defensive lines but you can’t give up a player you want and need to start in such huge games.
Renee Slegers also pointed out, back in March, that Stina offers useful divergence from Russo in terms of profile. ‘They’re quite different as players and that’s why they make such a good fit. You sometimes say opposites attract. I think they are quite far away from each other. That’s what makes them such a good partnership because they want to do different things on the pitch and they give each other that space and opportunity to do those different things.’
Renee also spoke about how Stina no longer feels typecast as the player who can run in behind high defensive lines or else come on when the team needs a goal and that confidence has brought out other parts of her game. Retaining Stina gives Agyemang the time and space to arrive into the squad in her own time and carve out her own niche rather than being looked upon as a direct Stina replacement straight away off the back of a bad injury.
And not that this ought to figure in the club’s calculus, but in a summer where Arsenal fans are likely to bid a tearful farewell to some real cult heroes, retaining a loved folk hero like Blackstenius has a lot of value (not least because Chelsea are looking for a good striker this summer too!) for supporters. Arsenal have a lot of work to do this summer and it’s going to be busy and it simply made no sense to add to that workload by giving up a player like Stina Blackstenius.