Arsenal Women’s Pre-Season: Smith's Late Winner and Lia's Departure
Arsenal Women’s new season is still a dot on the horizon, but the tempo has already gone up a notch. A late winner, a young talent moving on, and a manager quietly tightening the screws on a squad with title ambitions – it’s been a busy week for Renée Slegers and her players.
Smith snatches it at the death
Pre-season friendlies rarely crackle, but Sunday in Borehamwood had a sting in the tail.
Arsenal edged Paris FC 1-0 at Mangata Developments Stadium thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Olivia Smith. For 90 minutes, it looked like a classic August workout: plenty of rotation, plenty of running, not much in the way of cutting edge.
Then Smith stepped in.
The Canadian international, who arrived last summer, picked up the ball deep into added time, drove inside and bent her finish into the far corner in the 91st minute. One sharp touch, one precise shot, and a low-key friendly suddenly had a decisive moment.
For Slegers, the value went beyond the scoreline. She was able to spread minutes across the squad, build match rhythm and test combinations as Arsenal edge towards full fitness. After the game, she highlighted parts of the display she liked but underlined that there is still detail to sharpen before the real stuff starts.
Leah Williamson, too, drew encouragement from the run-out. The captain’s takeaway was clear: this is a group moving in the right direction as they tune up for another crack at the Women’s Super League title.
Lia departs for Frankfurt
While one player seized her moment, another closed a chapter.
On Friday, Arsenal confirmed that 19-year-old winger Vivienne Lia has left the club to join Eintracht Frankfurt on a permanent deal. It marks the end of a five-year journey in north London that began when she entered the academy at 14 in 2021.
Lia climbed through the youth ranks before deciding to continue her development in Germany, a path more and more young players are taking in search of regular senior football.
Her exit slots into a summer of significant churn in Slegers’ squad, with new faces arriving and familiar ones moving on. The rebuilding phase is shifting: less about who comes and goes now, more about how the remaining pieces fit together.
Final tune-ups before the real test
There isn’t much time to breathe.
Arsenal are back at Mangata Developments Stadium on Wednesday, August 26, hosting Charlton Athletic Women in their next pre-season outing. Another game, another chance for Slegers to tweak, to test, to demand.
That fixture leads straight into the serious business. Arsenal open their Women’s Super League campaign away to Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday 6th September, a trip that will offer the first hard evidence of where this “new-look” side really stands.
The warm-ups are nearly over. The questions about this squad – its depth, its balance, its edge in tight moments – are about to be answered on the pitch.
