_A small group of journalists had the opportunity to speak with Ona Batlle at the Arsenal WSL Media Day last week. Arseblog News were among the publications invited._
Ona Batlle has won three Liga F titles, four Copa de la Reinas, two Champions Leagues and a World Cup. Aged 27, Batlle arrives at Arsenal from her hometown club Barcelona this summer on a free transfer. It’s not the first time that Batlle has left Spain for England, she spent three years at Manchester United between 2020 and 2023 after joining them from Levante. She left United for Barca in the summer of 2023, having been developed in the world famous La Masia academy in her childhood years.
Batlle admits that when she returned to Barca in 2023, she didn’t necessarily project that she would come back to England again. ‘When I went to Barca I didn’t necessarily think about leaving again but when I had to make a decision about my future and my next years, it was a big step to come back because the league has grown so much.
‘I really enjoyed my time at United but now felt like a good time and a good place to be to enjoy these next years and to compete.’ The word ‘compete’ and one of its conjugations, ‘competitive’ come up time and again. At the age of 27, Batlle had to think about her next contract and the peak years of her career. Ultimately, she took the decision to move out of her comfort zone again.
‘Arsenal play the way I like to play. I am very excited to be back in the WSL, it is the most competitive league and this is a new challenge for me which I am really excited about. I cannot speak about the NWSL because I have not experienced that; but I believe the English league is the most competitive and it’s where I wanted to have a new challenge.
‘Lots of big players are in this league and all the teams have stepped up (_since she left Manchester United in 2023_). There are a lot of good clubs trying to invest and compete well. I am also very excited to try to win the WSL which haven’t done before. I was thinking about my next step about the next years of my career. I am at a good age to come back to the WSL.
‘It was the perfect timing for me to join Arsenal to try to win everything and it is an important year because there is the World Cup at the end. But I am just starting to connect with players and with staff and getting ready for the season.’ Ona won the league title in each of her three years at Barcelona and Renee Slegers and co will want to tap into that experience as they plot their first league title since the 2018-19 season.
‘To win the league you have to be constant, every weekend you have to perform so even if you don’t have a good day or a good week, you find a way to get the win in any way possible,’ Batlle explains. ‘That is one thing I am really looking forward to, especially in a league that is very competitive. We are going to have Champions League in the middle, so having a big squad is helpful to perform well in every competition.’
Batlle’s three years at Manchester United offer her a good grounding for the move to Arsenal, but she is still aware that some level of adaptation will be required. ‘I know the language; but it is a new club, a new city, new people, new team so it will take a little bit of time to settle down properly. It is something new; but I am really looking forward to it. I always really liked London and now I get to live here.’
Batlle is right-footed but has played very capably at left-back for Barcelona, Spain and Manchester United. The Gunners already have two established internationals at right-back in Emily Fox and Smilla Holmberg. The departure of Katie McCabe this summer leaves a bit of a space at left-back alongside Taylor Hinds in the squad. Arseblog News asks Ona whether she has a sense of where she will play most often.
‘I haven’t spoken with Renee about that yet, today was the first day training and touching the ball. I think we will have time to talk about that. I am happy to play both sides. I enjoy both sides so if I have to play on the left, I will play on the left and if I have to play on the right, I will play on the right. Arsenal saw me as a senior player who could slot straight into the squad and in the team.’
Asked whether she is aware of Arsenal Women’s history, Batlle says she was hampered by a lack of women’s football coverage growing up. ‘There wasn’t a way to watch the league when I was younger, I wish I could have had the facilities that kids have now to enjoy women’s football. I did watch the men’s team, my brother was a big, big fan of Cesc Fabregas, so we used to watch Arsenal when he was here.’
Batlle will be reunited with her former Barca teammate and current international teammate Mariona Caldentey in North London and Ona aspires to emulate the swiftness with which Mariona took to life at Arsenal. ‘She has really settled down with the club and in the league. She has had good success since the beginning and I want to have as much as her. When I played with her at Barca we had such a good connection, she is a really good player and makes it easier for all the players around her, so I am looking forward to that again.’
Alessia Russo is another player that Batlle has played alongside to great success in the past. In particular, during the 2022-23 season, when Manchester United challenged for the WSL title, Batlle’s crosses were a fruitful avenue for Russo’s goal tally that season. Batlle says that Russo has notably progressed since they were last teammates.
‘Alessia has improved loads. She was already one of the best 9s in the world but now she is playing in all these big competitions, playing for her country and been as successful as she has been, she is definitely one of the best number 9s in the world and I am very excited to link up with her again and try to help her to score goals.’
With an average home crowd of over 30,000, Arsenal are out on their own in terms of consistency of crowd size in the European game. Ona says this was part of the attraction of joining the club despite plenty of competition from some of the biggest clubs in Europe for her signature. ‘I am so excited, that is one of the most exciting things I am looking forward to, especially at the Emirates.
‘Having the crowd, hopefully some games will even be sold out and I am really looking forward to feeling the fans behind us. It was one of the beauties of this club, how they are connected to the fans and the crowd. The history of the club as well, it all makes me excited, that this is a big club who does things well and I wanted to be a part of that.’