The 20-year-old Canadian star Olivia Smith has made a record by signing for the Arsenal women’s team. It was historic in terms of completing a world record fee of £1 million for the young star. It was historic because it was the first £1 million deal to be completed for any women’s player to date in football. The Gunners women bought her from their Premier League rivals Liverpool. As they are looking to dominate the Women’s Premier League after coming up second last season. The Arsenal Women’s Club bought the 20-year-old, as she had already shown how excellent she could perform in the last season. Starting her journey from North Toronto Nitros in Canada to Sporting CP and to Liverpool. Showing how quickly she can climb the ranks in just a short period of time. The Arsenal Women’s team is looking to bring in good young players to their team.
Olivia Smith’s rapid rise:
Smith’s rise in this short amount of time can be credited to his excellent performance in just a few years. She started her journey from college football but made her professional debut in Canada for North Toronto Nitros. In 2022, at the age of 18 she played and competed in the Canadian Women’s League. In that very season, she was named the Young Player of the Season and also won the Golden Boot. Scoring a total of 18 goals in 11 matches. In 2023, she made her move to Sporting CP, making her first move to European football. She scored a total of 13 goals in 18 matches. In the Portuguese top division for women. She was again the Young Player of the Season and also Sporting’s best player of the Season. In 2023, she made her move to Liverpool, scoring 9 goals last season.
Why Arsenal could not miss out on Olivia Smith:
After coming back from being the winners of the UEFA Women’s Champions League against Barcelona with a 1-0 scoreline. The Gunners women’s team has now shifted its focus to the domestic league. Last season, they finished on 48 points short of the leaders and champions, Chelsea, with 60 points. They now want to finish strongly in the domestic league too. For that, they are looking for young impactful players. Arsenal‘s scouting team has looked at Smith as a perfect player for the Gunners. Her statistics also prove how dangerous she is in the Premier League itself. She registered a total of 50 shots with 16 on target. With an expected goal outcome of more than +2.6 in just 25 appearances for the side last season. Smith’s skill set and her gameplay were perfect and also fit Renée Slegers’ style.
Record-breaking fee for Olivia Smith:
The 20-year-old deal with Arsenal made history as for the first time a world record fee of £1 million for a women’s footballer was completed. The previous record was set by £890,000 was made by Chelsea for US centre-back Naomi Girma in January this year. For Liverpool, it would be a major profit as they signed for only a fee of £210,000 last year. It will hand Liverpool a direct profit of about £800,000. But for Arsenal, this fee for Olivia reflects how good she is in the Premier League, as her past record speaks for itself. Scoring goals regularly for both her club and country, making her an excellent pick going into the next season.
Author’s opinion:
Arsenal’s signing of Olivia Smith is a historic deal in the world of football, especially for women’s football. Smith is a player who possesses all the excellent qualities that are required for a centre-forward. This historic deal reflects how good she is with her regularity in scoring goals for the side she plays.
As featured on GoonerNews.com
