Understandably, all the excitement, speculation and conversation in the summer revolves around new signings and departures. But Arsenal have some existing players in the squad for whom next season feels particularly intriguing. I am going to focus on three who, for different reasons, didn’t have the campaigns they wanted in 2025-26.
Katie REID
Reid started each of Arsenal’s first four WSL games last season. Even though Lotte Wubben-Moy and Laia Codina were both available, Reid was preferred at the beginning of the campaign. Her performances were impressive enough to earn a call-up into Sarina Wiegman’s England squad last October.
However, cruelly, Katie ruptured her ACL and didn’t get the opportunity to win her first cap. Yet. The injury kept her out for the entire season but she is nearing a return to fitness now. Obviously, she will need time to come back up to full speed. I think Arsenal need to address the left-sided centre-back position.
Steph Catley has performed excellently there under Slegers and signed a new deal before the end of last season. But she turns 33 during next season and I think the future of this role needs to be fireproofed now. However, I am personally pretty happy with the quality of the four centre-backs that Arsenal have and they registered the best defensive record (with the underlying data to back it up) in the WSL last season.
Reid has excellent recovery pace and she solves a big issue for Arsenal- a lack of height. The issue is that Arsenal’s academy has turned out three top class centre-halves but they all prefer the right side of the defensive partnership. Arsenal’s need for a new centre-half is not down to numbers or quality (in my view) but profiles.
So where does Reid fit into this equation? Will either Katie or Lotte focus on specialising on the left-side of the defensive partnership? With Ona Batlle likely to be the starting left-back, does that not make it even more important to have a left footed player on the left of the defence? These are all live issues for Renee Slegers but, in isolation, it is fascinating (and exciting) to see whether Reid can pick up where she left off last autumn.
Chloe KELLY
Kelly started only four WSL games last season, coming on as a sub in a further 12. Niggling injuries dogged her and even when her name was on the team sheet, that doesn’t mean she was 100% fit. It led to a fitful season for a player who really burst back onto the Arsenal scene during her loan spell at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Retaining her England place for Euro 2025 drove her to really force a loan move to the Gunners in January 2025. It’s another World Cup year and Arsenal have brought in players like Selina Cerci and Reuteler who can operate out wide (how often they do remains to be seen) and they’ve added Lisa Baum too.
All of which begs the question as to Kelly’s role next season. I am certain that she will play plenty, even when they don’t start, wide players tend to be subbed on- as Kelly’s 12 sub appearances last season attest. First and foremost, she has to stay fit. It feels as though Olivia Smith is really making one of those wide slots her own. Kelly will want to make sure the other is predominantly hers.
Caitlin FOORD
Foord signed a new contract during the summer. There was a chance she might have left had Beth Mead accepted the club’s contract offer. Foord’s experience is valued, as is her hard work. In Champions League second legs away at Chelsea and Lyon she played the full 90 minutes and a lot of that is due to her excellent defensive work and her ability to force transitions and to get Arsenal up the pitch for counter attacks.
Arsenal lost a lot of leadership and experience during this summer and Foord, who will now wear the number 9 shirt, will be one of the most senior and longest serving players in the squad next year. However, she will know better than anyone that two goals and no assists is a meagre return from 1,207 WSL minutes last season.
Many fans vocally questioned the decision to extend her contract, which I understand. I do think the criticism has gone way, way over the top. Unfortunately, it is something I see a lot on social media, that when some people really get their teeth into a player, folk compete to have the strongest takes on it and a sort of pile-on develops and people convince themselves the player has no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
Foord reminds me a little of Madueke on the men’s team, maybe even Martinelli too. The value doesn’t show up in the G and A columns as much as it ought to. But there is a real value in their relentlessness and their insistence on facing up a full-back again and again and again. It tires teams and it changes how their full-backs play against you.
But of course, everyone knows that when you play for a team who are aiming to win the WSL and the Champions League, your wide forwards have to ‘get on the board’ more often than Caitlin managed last season. She will know that too. I detected a loss of confidence in front of goal at the end of 2025-26 and think she really needed a goal to get her mojo back.