3 weeks ago
Beth Mead will time off Arsenal aft 9 years erstwhile her statement expires this summer. The England guardant has made 265 appearances and scored 86 goals since joining from Sunderland, winning a WSL title, 3 League Cups, nan Champions League and nan Champions Cup while astatine nan club.
Mead, a instrumentality favourite, played an important domiciled successful Arsenal’s 2nd European title past May. Her clever walk created nan only extremity for chap substitute, Stina Blackstenius, against Barcelona successful nan Lisbon final.
Arsenal’s head of women’s football, Clare Wheatley, said Mead “will spell down successful history arsenic 1 of our champion forwards and a fable of nan club. Beth is specified a typical personification and will ever beryllium invited astatine Arsenal. I cognize our supporters will subordinate maine successful wishing Beth happiness and occurrence successful her early endeavours.”
Mead, who turned 31 past Saturday, won nan subordinate of nan tourney and aureate footwear awards astatine nan European Championship successful 2022 erstwhile nan Lionesses lifted their first awesome trophy and was nan BBC women’s footballer of nan twelvemonth and BBC sports characteristic of nan year. Four months aft nan Euros triumph, an anterior cruciate ligament rupture stopped her momentum, and sidelined her for nan 2023 World Cup.
Mead has since been backmost to her champion and was a cardinal portion of nan England squad that retained nan European Championship title successful Switzerland past summer.
Mead attracted Arsenal’s attraction aft scoring 66 goals successful 88 games for Sunderland crossed 5 years. The Whitby-born guardant sewage 23 goals successful 23 games for Sunderland successful her first play successful nan second-tier FA Women’s Premier League and successful 2015 became nan youngest subordinate to triumph nan WSL aureate boot, aged 20.
Arsenal announced Mead’s departure aft confirming nan Spanish centre-back, Laia Codina, and nan midfielder, Victoria Pelova, will besides depart this summer. Codina made 58 appearances and scored 4 goals for Arsenal aft joining successful 2023. Pelova, a Netherlands international, made 87 appearances aft joining from Ajax successful January 2023 only made 5 WSL starts and 15 substitute appearances this season. An ACL wounded successful nan summertime of 2024 ruled her retired for astir of nan adjacent season.
