Primus excited for Williamson reunion when London City Lionesses travel to Arsenal | OneFootball

London City Lionesses forward Atlanta Primus says that she is excited to potentially go up against her close friend Leah Williamson when The Pride face Arsenal in the Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round this weekend.

The pair were WSL Academy League rivals early in their careers with Primus on the books at Chelsea and Williamson representing Arsenal while they were teammates on the international stage, turning out for England together at various youth levels.

When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time ahead of London City Lionesses’ trip to Meadow Park this weekend, Primus said that she is excited to go up against Williamson again.

“I’m still really good friends with Leah, we chat quite frequently,” Primus said. “Leah is a special talent, we’ve known it for a long time. She is a great leader, a great communicator on the pitch and she just does everything that you want a centre-back to do.

“I’m obviously excited to play against her, we’ve had a few battles back in the day. It’s always nice to play against your friends and play on the pitch together. I’m excited to get out there on Sunday and I’m pleased to see her back out there after her injury as well.”

Since those WSL Academy League battles in the early 2010s, Williamson has gone on to build her status as an Arsenal legend while she has also captained her country. Primus went on to say that the player’s quality was always clear to see.

She said “Since we played together in our first England camp at Under-15s, she has always been a stand-out performer, she’s just very consistent in what she does. You always kind of had a feeling that she would progress through the age groups and go on to achieve what she has.

“Moving forward, I think she’s in a good place with the national team but also at Arsenal after signing that new contract. It has always been in her blood, she’s a hard worker, a good communicator and a great leader. I’m proud of her as a friend and excited to compete with her on Sunday.”

London City Lionesses are no strangers to facing the very best that the Barclays FA Women’s Super League has to offer in domestic cup competitions and Primus said that there was a buzz when the Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round draw was made.

“When we got the draw, the group chat was very excited for the opportunity,” Primus said. “The FA Cup is a special cup and a special opportunity for us to go out and test ourselves and challenge ourselves.

“Going into the second half of the season, it is a time for us to push on so we are excited for the weekend and for the opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world.”

London City Lionesses’ Vitality Women’s FA Cup fourth round tie at Arsenal is scheduled to kick-off at 12.30pm on Sunday.