Aston Villa Women have completed the signing of Norway international defender Mathilde Harviken from Italian side Juventus.
Harviken began her senior career in Norway before spells with Fart and Røa, later joining Rosenborg in 2022. She made more than 80 appearances for the club and helped them lift the Norwegian Cup in 2023.
The centre-back moved to Juventus in January 2025 and went on to make almost 50 appearances for the Italian side, winning the Copa Italia and Serie A in her first season in Turin and featuring in the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Harviken made her senior Norway debut in 2022 after progressing through the country’s youth ranks. She has since become a regular for her country and represented Norway at both the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.
The 24-year-old will now test herself in the WSL for the first time, with Aston Villa looking to climb the table and improve on a frustrating campaign.
Will Harviken Help Villa Revival?
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After a disappointing campaign that saw them regress three places to ninth in the WSL, manager Natalia Arroyo will be hoping to turn her team back into the top half contenders they have been in recent years.
The priority problem to solve was their leaky defence. Villa finished in the top half for goals scored, with Kirsty Hanson finishing as the leagues third highest goalscorer with 12, but their tally of 48 goals conceded only beaten by rock bottom Leicester.
This let the Villains down at key moments, including a frustrating 4-3 loss at Kingsmeadow to Chelsea and a 7-3 defeat against Tottenham.
With Hanson now also departing the club for the North London outfit, Villa have lost their chief threat responsible for almost half their goals over the season.
Arroyo clearly feels like changes are needed if Villa are to climb the table, and new arrivals have already been flying through the door.
Harviken joins former Juventus teammate Amalie Vangsgaard and compatriots Justine Kielland and Kamilla Melgård as fresh faces, and they will be hoping to inspire Aston Villa to an improved season when the new campaign kicks off.