Should we expect more from Arsenal Women’s Spanish world champion next season?

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·25 June 2024

Should we expect more from Arsenal Women’s Spanish world champion next season?

In the summer of 2023, Alessia Russo, Cloe Lacasse, Laia Codina, Kyra Cooney Cross, and Amanda Ilestedt all joined Arsenal Women. Most of these recruits came and proved their worth.

However, Codina was one who we did not get to see at her peak last season, only making 8 appearances out of a possible 22 appearances in the league. Most of us expected her to take our defence by storm after witnessing her bossing Spain Women’s defence at the Women’s World Cup in Australia – when the Spaniards won the trophy and became world champions.

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Unfortunately, Codina was not an instant hit; she didn’t have a fantastic start at Arsenal. Since Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall didn’t initially play her, probably resting her for the intense summer she had at the World Cup, she remained on the bench most of the time, which hindered her ability to establish consistency as Lotte Wubben-Moy and Amanda Ilestedt’s defensive pairing improved with each match.

An injury sidelined her for a period, rendering her ineffective. She recovered from her injuries, and by the second half of the season, opportunities began to emerge for her. The Spaniard has certainly been solid since the turn of the year, and I believe Arsenal has yet to see the best of her. Some people have expressed doubts about her, and I don’t understand why.

If Codina can stay fit, she will thrive. I’m excited to see what happens next season with her. What do you think? Should we expect the ex-Barcelona Femeni star to really hit the ground running in the 2024–25 season?

And could we see her joined by Barcelona’s Mariona Caldentey, and maybe even Keira Walsh at The Arsenal??

Michelle M

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