Page 10 - Women's Spccer Scene Issue No.37 2021-22

Caitlin signs new Arsenal contract
Arsenal have announced that Caitlin Foord has signed a new deal with the club.
The 27-year-old Australian forward joined the Gunners in 2020 following a spell in the USA
with Portland Thorns, marking her Arsenal debut with the first goal in their 2-0 win over Lewes in
the Vitality Women’s FA Cup in February 2020.
In total, Caitlin has made 62 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 23 goals. Notably, she scored a
memorable double in the first ever North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium, as her team ran
out 3-0 winners over Tottenham Hotspur in May 2022.
“It feels amazing,” Caitlin told www.arsenal.com. “Since I joined this club, I’ve absolutely fallen
in love with being here. I think I mentioned in one of my early interviews that I had lost my way in
football a bit, but since being here I’ve absolutely fallen in love and found myself again.
“We’ve been inching towards winning lots of silverware and that’s definitely going to be the
plan for next year. We want to win multiple trophies and I think with the squad, the team, the
players and the support we have, we have the squad to be able to do it.”
Head Coach Jonas Eidevall added: “Caitlin is a top player and an integral part of what we’re
building here. Her contribution in both attack and defence are crucial to our game, so we’re
delighted that she has signed a new contract. This is an ambitious club and Caitlin is central to that.”
Head of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley said: “We’re all very pleased that Caitlin will be
staying with us. She is a wonderful footballer in her peak years, so she is exactly the kind of player
we want to keep at this club. We look forward to seeing Caitlin in action for Arsenal in the years to
come.”
Arsenal have also reached an agreement for captain Kim Little to join National Women’s
Soccer League side OL Reign on a short-term loan deal this summer.
Kim will join OL Reign on 1 June and return to Arsenal ahead of the start of pre-season on 15th
August.
Kim previously spent three seasons at the club – then known as Seattle Reign FC – between
2014 and 2016, scoring 32 goals in 63 regular season appearances and helping the side to
successive NWSL Shield titles in 2014 and 2015. She was the team’s top scorer in both of these
campaigns and was named NWSL MVP in 2014.
The 31-year-old midfielder has made a total of 267 appearances for Arsenal across two spells
in North London, scoring 156 goals along the way.
Meanwhile, Victoria Schnaderbeck and Lisa Evans will be leaving the club at the end of their
contracts.
Jess and Maren staying at Chelsea
Chelsea Football Club has exercised an option to extend both Jess Carter and Maren Mjelde’s
contracts until summer 2023.
Jess Carter, who has 92 Chelsea appearances to her name, will remain at the club for at least
one more year having signed her initial contract in June 2021. She joined the Blues in the summer
of 2018 from Birmingham City where she had just scooped the Women's PFA Young Player of the
Year.
The defender has been impressive in both the right back and centre back positions this season
and has played an important part in Chelsea’s double-winning squad. Carter’s strong performance
earned her a call-up to the England squad earlier this year in the Arnold Clark Cup. She was
recently named in the Lionesses’ provisional squad in preparation for the Euros.
Defender Maren Mjelde will also remain with the Blues for at least one more year having signed
her initial contract in January 2021. Mjelde has been an integral part of the team since joining in
2017 from Norwegian side, Avaldsnes, making an impressive 133 appearances for Chelsea in both
midfield and defence. Her 2020-21 season was cut short due to an injury picked up during their
Continental League Cup Final victory against Bristol City, however, Mjelde returned for the tail end
of the 2021-22 season. She most recently helped the Blues to victory at Wembley in the FA Cup
Final, coming on in extra time against Manchester City.
The Norwegian native has been a regular for her country since her teens with over 100
international caps to her name. Mjelde captained her country to the quarter finals of the 2019
Women’s World Cup and is in contention to be selected for Norway’s team for the Euros this summer.
Both players will join back up with the squad for the start of pre-season.
Issue no. 37 - 2 June 2022 news@womenssoccerscene.co.uk