Arsenal have announced the arrival of 20-year-old ahead Olivia Smith from Liverpool for a girls’s world-record switch payment.
The Canada worldwide is the primary lady to interrupt the £1 million barrier ($1.36 million), surpassing the earlier document set by Chelsea’s £900,000 ($1.1 million) switch of USWNT defender Naomi Girma in January, and the Gunners have added one other participant to their ranks since successful the UEFA Ladies’s Champions League in Could after the signings of Chloe Kelly and Taylor Hinds.
In 2019, Smith made headlines by turning into the youngest senior Canada worldwide at 15 years and 94 days. After shifting from North Toronto Nitros, Smith’s breakthrough got here for Sporting CP throughout her first skilled season in 2023-24 as she scored 13 objectives in 18 appearances.
– Summer transfer window grades: Arsenal get an A for Smith
– Women’s world transfer record history: Smith overtakes Girma
In summer time 2024, Liverpool signed her for a club-record payment of simply over £200,000, and she or he scored seven instances in 20 Women’s Super League appearances — nearly a 3rd of the membership’s complete objectives final season.
Here’s a have a look at why Arsenal determined to spend huge to signal her.
What place does she play?
Smith is a right-footed winger who primarily operates on the best aspect; though, she is able to enjoying via the center as a central striker. Through the 2024-25 season, she largely performed as part of a entrance two in Liverpool’s 3-5-2 formation, or as the best winger of their 4-2-3-1 setup.
Both method, she was awarded freedom to maneuver round up entrance and sometimes dropped deeper to obtain the ball together with her again to purpose, earlier than turning and operating at her opponents.
What are her strengths?
Her major strengths lie in her dribbling skill. She has lots of velocity, but in addition the flexibility to vary course immediately — selecting to move inside or exterior equally properly — which provides a layer of unpredictability to her sport. Her shut management in tight areas and talent to bounce off challenges additionally makes her a nightmare to defend towards.
Smith performed for a Liverpool aspect that was direct in its buildup, which restricted her time and touches on the ball, however she was wonderful when in possession. The stat of “progressive carries per 100 open-play touches” provides you an thought of how regularly a participant makes an attempt to make a progressive carry, and the winger is within the prime quartile for each tried take-ons and normalized progressive carries amongst forwards.
She is in good firm alongside Chelsea duo of Johanna Rytting Kaneyrd and Mayra Ramírez, who’re each recognized for his or her ball carrying, whereas she can also be accompanied by her new Arsenal teammate Caitlin Foord. Certainly, Smith’s 3.6 tried take-ons (with a 58% success fee) additionally put her within the prime bracket and suggests some stylistic similarities with Foord, which bodes properly for her adaptability.
Smith likes to shoot as properly. Whereas primarily proper footed, she is nice with each toes and took 49 photographs final season, the joint-sixth highest by any participant within the WSL. That is some feat when you think about Liverpool’s common lack of shot-creating skill, and Smith usually needed to create probabilities for herself utilizing her tempo and ability to create house. Solely Aston Villa duo Kirsty Hanson and Ebony Salmon, in addition to Manchester Metropolis’s Kerolin, created extra photographs from take-ons (9) than Smith (8). And no participant scored extra of those alternatives than her (2).
Smith’s fast footedness and repertoire of abilities make her troublesome to learn and permit her to attract fouls. Solely West Ham’s Viviane Asseyi (51) received extra fouls than Smith (46) within the WSL final season, and 9 of these resulted in a shot try throughout the subsequent two actions.
The teenager additionally has a knack of constructing a mark towards huge sides. She brought about lots of issues for Arsenal of their FA Cup quarterfinal tie and scored towards Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City throughout all competitions final season.
What does she must work on?
There are questions round how Smith will play in a extra possession-dominant aspect. The winger performed for a Liverpool aspect that averaged 47.4% possession final season and relied on alternatives in transition, usually towards unsettled defenses with yards of house to run into.
Nonetheless, the Gunners averaged the second-highest possession within the WSL final season (62.5%) and always confronted defenses arrange in a low block with gamers behind the ball.
Whereas Smith’s quick-footed nature is a serious a part of her dribbling armory, the shortage of house in behind would possibly hinder the impression of her general dribbling, which may end in some undesirable turnovers and a slight drop in her dribble success fee.
How will Smith slot in with Arsenal’s tactical plan?
Renée Slegers retained some key elements of Jonas Eidevall’s techniques after taking up from him in October, however she additionally added her personal spin.
Below her steerage, Arsenal’s wingers are requested to maneuver the ball up the pitch as a result of their direct ball carrying nature, particularly since Chloe Kelly’s arrival, however are additionally trusted to shoot and cross the ball regularly.
With out the ball, although, they’re anticipated to contribute to the crew’s press and have interaction with the opposition backline in their very own third. Smith suits like a glove on this philosophy; she is an energetic defender with an excellent work fee and is all the time a key part of her aspect’s front-footed method.
Solely Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey (24) made extra tackles within the ultimate third than the Liverpool starlet (20) final season. And, amongst forwards, solely Manchester United’s Celin Bizet (98), Chelsea’s Kaneryd (90) and Asseyi (88) made extra ball recoveries than Smith (77) final season.
Why did Arsenal need her?
Other than including a younger participant of appreciable high quality, Arsenal had the second-oldest squad within the WSL final season (27.6 years of age), behind solely Aston Villa (27.7). A number of their essential gamers, by way of minutes performed, are heading away from their peak, so Smith’s addition is an inflow of youth. Certainly, she joins Kyra Cooney-Cross, Rosa Kafaji and Frida Maanum among the many gamers who just lately arrived on the membership age 21 or youthful.
At 20, she brings down the typical age in assault, including depth and must also be eligible for a homegrown slot within the subsequent couple of seasons, which can assist Arsenal with participant registration.
Whereas her world-record switch payment would possibly weigh heavy on her shoulders, Smith appears able to carrying it and has already confirmed how efficient she could be within the WSL.