Arsenal Reshapes Squad for 2026 Season Amid Key Departures
Arsenal’s 2026 summer transfer window looks less like a simple rebuild and more like a deliberate reshaping of the squad.
The departures are significant. Katie McCabe, Beth Mead, Victoria Pelova, Laia Codina, Jenna Nighswonger, and Manuela Zinsberger all leave in different circumstances, taking experience, versatility, and personality with them. Young full-back Sophie Harwood has also been sent out on loan to continue her development.
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Arsenal have responded by bringing in seven players from five different leagues, combining established international quality with some of Europe’s most interesting young talent.
The result is a squad that looks deeper and arguably better equipped to rotate across a long season. The signings, however, are not interchangeable. Each fills a different need.
Ona Batlle: A ready-made answer at full-back
The Spain international arrives from Barcelona with experience of playing in a possession-heavy, trophy-winning environment. She made 31 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona in the 2025/26 season, contributing two goals and two assists, and had 114 appearances for the club across three seasons.
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What Arsenal get is more than a replacement for McCabe or Nighswonger. Batlle gives Renée Slegers another technically secure full-back who can operate high up the pitch, combine in wide areas, and help Arsenal maintain possession under pressure.
She is comfortable receiving the ball in advanced positions, but her experience as a defender means she can also provide stability when Arsenal’s full-backs rotate forward.
Her familiarity with elite European competition from her time with Manchester United and with Barcelona in the UWCL should make her one of the quickest signings to settle.
Lisa Baum: Pace, directness and a very high ceiling
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Lisa Baum represents a different type of investment.
At 19, Baum is not arriving as a finished product. She is arriving as a player Arsenal believes can become one. The German winger spent 2025/26 at RB Leipzig, where she made 25 Bundesliga appearances, started 23, and recorded six goals and two assists.
She is also quick, left-footed, and comfortable attacking from wide areas. Arsenal’s own description of her game emphasizes ‘direct intent and athleticism,’ which gives a pretty clear idea of what Slegers sees in her.
There is an interesting developmental story here, too. Baum helped Hamburger SV climb from Germany’s third tier to the Bundesliga before moving to Leipzig. Arsenal are now taking her from a club where she was already playing regularly into one where the competition for minutes will be much tougher.
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That could be the challenge but also the opportunity, especially as she is already thriving in pre-season. Arsenal can give Baum access to elite teammates and Champions League-level competition while gradually increasing her responsibility.
Selina Cerci: A proven goalscorer
Selina Cerci is perhaps the most intriguing attacking addition.
The Germany international arrives from Hoffenheim after scoring 34 goals in 47 appearances for the Bundesliga club. That record tells you what Arsenal are buying: someone who knows how to find the net.
Cerci can play across the forward line, which matters for a team that wants to maintain attacking quality even when rotating its front three. Her movement gives Arsenal another player capable of attacking space behind a defensive line rather than always coming toward the ball.
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She also gives Arsenal something they have rarely lacked: another natural finisher who can turn a half-chance into a goal.
The move to the WSL will ask her to adapt to a different tempo and a league that can be more physically demanding from week to week. If she adjusts quickly, though, Cerci could become one of Arsenal’s most useful attacking rotations, giving Russo a well-deserved break.
Isabella Damm: One for the future
Isabella Damm is a very different kind of new signing for Arsenal.
At just 18, the Danish goalkeeper is unlikely to arrive with the expectation of immediately taking over the No.1 shirt. Arsenal are instead investing in a player they believe has significant long-term potential.
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Damm came through Brøndby’s academy, joined the first-team squad at 15, and made her senior debut in October 2025. Brøndby described her as a player with ‘very great potential’ and noted that Arsenal had been involved in her development pathway for several years.
Her arrival becomes even more interesting when viewed alongside Arsenal’s other goalkeepers. Rather than simply replacing Zinsberger with another experienced veteran, Arsenal have added another young option to a goalkeeping group that already includes Daphne van Domselaar and Anneke Borbe.
This is a development signing, and Arsenal have time on their side.
Géraldine Reuteler: A connector in the attack
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Géraldine Reuteler brings something different again.
The Switzerland international leaves Eintracht Frankfurt after eight years in Germany, where she made 137 appearances for the club and scored 44 goals. In the 2025/26 Bundesliga season alone, she made 25 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing six assists.
That production is important, but Reuteler’s value goes beyond the numbers. She can operate between midfield and the front line, connect attacks, and create opportunities rather than simply waiting for them. For an Arsenal side that wants to move the ball quickly through the final third, that versatility gives Slegers another way to structure the attack.
She also arrives with significant experience. Unlike Baum or Damm, Reuteler is not being asked to learn elite football from scratch. She has already spent years playing in one of Europe’s strongest domestic leagues and competing in European competition.
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Misa Rodríguez: Experience between the posts
Misa Rodríguez is arguably the most important move in the goalkeeping department.
The former Real Madrid captain arrives with six years at the club, 215 appearances, and a World Cup winners’ medal with Spain. Her final Real Madrid season included 30 appearances, 80 saves, and 17 clean sheets across all competitions.
That gives Arsenal something they lose with Zinsberger’s departure: experience.
Misa has also played in a system where the goalkeeper is expected to contribute to buildup rather than simply defend the six-yard box. Her distribution and composure should fit naturally into an Arsenal side that wants to control games through possession.
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The biggest question is competition. With Van Domselaar also capable of starting at the highest level, Arsenal suddenly have genuine depth in a position where one injury can change an entire season.
Georgia Stanway: The statement signing
Then there is Georgia Stanway.
If Arsenal wanted one signing to immediately change the profile of the midfield, THIS is it.
Stanway returns to England after four seasons with Bayern Munich, where she won four Bundesliga titles and two German Cups. Across 128 appearances for Bayern, she scored 32 goals. In 2025/26, she recorded seven Bundesliga goals and nine assists.
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She brings aggression, ball progression, pressing intensity, and goals from midfield. She can play deeper, push forward, or arrive late into the box, which gives Arsenal tactical flexibility that becomes especially valuable against teams that defend in different ways.
There is also a familiarity factor. Stanway already knows the WSL well from her Manchester City years, where she made 186 appearances and won the league, three FA Cups, and three League Cups.
At 27, she is also entering the squad at a point where Arsenal can expect immediate impact rather than another developmental project.
What the departures mean
The incomings make more sense when placed beside the exits.
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McCabe’s departure removes one of Arsenal’s most versatile and emotionally significant players. Mead takes away years of attacking chemistry and experience. Pelova’s exit changes the midfield rotation, while Nighswonger leaves after only a short stay but had provided another option at fullback. Zinsberger’s departure ends a long chapter in goal.
Arsenal have not tried to replace every player with a like-for-like substitute. Instead, they have redistributed the responsibilities.
Batlle can bring stability and technical quality at full-back. Stanway adds physicality and experience in midfield. Reuteler gives the attack another connector. Cerci adds goal threat. Baum brings youth and pace. Misa strengthens the goalkeeper group immediately, while Damm represents the longer-term plan.
That is what makes this window so interesting.
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Arsenal have lost some of the personalities that shaped their recent era, but they have not simply filled empty spaces on the squad list. They have changed the balance of the team.
The challenge now is turning that potential into chemistry.
A squad this deep gives Slegers options, but it also creates competition for minutes. Baum and Damm need time to develop. Cerci and Reuteler have to adapt to the WSL. Meanwhile, Batlle and Misa will need to settle quickly. Stanway will be expected to look like the player who dominated midfield in Germany from day one.
If it all clicks, Arsenal have built something that looks less like a transitional squad and more like a team designed to compete on multiple fronts; something that already seems to be happening if we look towards pre-season.
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After finishing second in the WSL last season, four points behind Manchester City, that is exactly what the club needs.
Related articles from Her Football Hub:
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Are London City Lionesses challenging the energy of football royalty Barcelona?
-
6 new and rising WSL players to watch this season, including breakout Chelsea and Man Utd stars
-
How Football Manager 26 is helping change perceptions of the women’s game
Arsenal’s 2026 summer transfer window looks less like a simple rebuild and more like a deliberate reshaping of the squad.
The departures are significant. Katie McCabe, Beth Mead, Victoria Pelova, Laia Codina, Jenna Nighswonger and Manuela Zinsberger all leave in different circumstances, taking experience, versatility and personality with them. Young full-back Sophie Harwood has also been sent out on loan to continue her development.
Advertisement
Arsenal have responded by bringing in seven players from five different leagues, combining established international quality with some of Europe’s most interesting young talent.
The result is a squad that looks deeper and arguably better equipped to rotate across a long season. The signings, however, are not interchangeable. Each fills a different need.
Ona Batlle: A ready-made answer at full-back
The Spain international arrives from Barcelona with experience of playing in a possession-heavy, trophy-winning environment. She made 31 appearances across all competitions for Barcelona in the 2025/26 season, contributing two goals and two assists, and had 114 appearances for the club across three seasons.
Advertisement
What Arsenal get is more than a replacement for McCabe or Nighswonger. Batlle gives Renée Slegers another technically secure full-back who can operate high up the pitch, combine in wide areas and help Arsenal maintain possession under pressure.
She is comfortable receiving the ball in advanced positions but her experience as a defender means she can also provide stability when Arsenal’s full-backs rotate forward.
Her familiarity with elite European competition from her time with Manchester United and with Barcelona in the UWCL should make her one of the quickest signings to settle.
Lisa Baum: Pace, directness and a very high ceiling
Advertisement
Lisa Baum represents a different type of investment.
At 19, Baum is not arriving as a finished product. She is arriving as a player Arsenal believe can become one. The German winger spent 2025/26 at RB Leipzig, where she made 25 Bundesliga appearances, started 23 and recorded six goals and two assists.
She is also quick, left-footed and comfortable attacking from wide areas. Arsenal’s own description of her game emphasises ‘direct intent and athleticism’, which gives a pretty clear idea of what Slegers sees in her.
There is an interesting developmental story here, too. Baum helped Hamburger SV climb from Germany’s third tier to the Bundesliga before moving to Leipzig. Arsenal are now taking her from a club where she was already playing regularly into one where the competition for minutes will be much tougher.
Advertisement
That could be the challenge but also the opportunity, especially seeing as she is already thriving in pre-season. Arsenal can give Baum access to elite teammates and Champions League level competition while gradually increasing her responsibility.
Selina Cerci: A proven goalscorer
Selina Cerci is perhaps the most intriguing attacking addition.
The Germany international arrives from Hoffenheim after scoring 34 goals in 47 appearances for the Bundesliga club. That record tells you what Arsenal are buying: someone who knows how to find the net.
Cerci can play across the forward line, which matters for a team that wants to maintain attacking quality even when rotating its front three. Her movement gives Arsenal another player capable of attacking space behind a defensive line rather than always coming toward the ball.
Advertisement
She also gives Arsenal something they have rarely lacked. Another natural finisher who can turn a half-chance into a goal.
The move to the WSL will ask her to adapt to a different tempo and a league that can be more physically demanding from week to week. If she adjusts quickly, though, Cerci could become one of Arsenal’s most useful attacking rotations, giving Russo a well-deserved break.
Isabella Damm: One for the future
Isabella Damm is a very different kind of new signing for Arsenal.
At just 18, the Danish goalkeeper is unlikely to arrive with the expectation of immediately taking over the No.1 shirt. Arsenal are instead investing in a player they believe has significant long-term potential.
Advertisement
Damm came through Brøndby’s academy, joined the first team squad at 15 and made her senior debut in October 2025. Brøndby described her as a player with ‘very great potential’ and noted that Arsenal had been involved in her development pathway for several years.
Her arrival becomes even more interesting when viewed alongside Arsenal’s other goalkeepers. Rather than simply replacing Zinsberger with another experienced veteran, Arsenal have added another young option to a goalkeeping group that already includes Daphne van Domselaar and Anneke Borbe.
This is a development signing and Arsenal have time on their side.
Géraldine Reuteler: A connector in the attack
Advertisement
Géraldine Reuteler brings something different again.
The Switzerland international leaves Eintracht Frankfurt after eight years in Germany, where she made 137 appearances for the club and scored 44 goals. In the 2025/26 Bundesliga season alone, she made 25 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing six assists.
That production is important, but Reuteler’s value goes beyond the numbers. She can operate between midfield and the front line, connect attacks and create opportunities rather than simply waiting for them. For an Arsenal side that wants to move the ball quickly through the final third, that versatility gives Slegers another way to structure the attack.
She also arrives with significant experience. Unlike Baum or Damm, Reuteler is not being asked to learn elite football from scratch. She has already spent years playing in one of Europe’s strongest domestic leagues and competing in European competition.
Advertisement
Misa Rodríguez: Experience between the posts
Misa Rodríguez is arguably the most important move in the goalkeeping department.
The former Real Madrid captain arrives with six years at the club, 215 appearances and a World Cup winners’ medal with Spain. Her final Real Madrid season included 30 appearances, 80 saves and 17 clean sheets across all competitions.
That gives Arsenal something they lose with Zinsberger’s departure: experience.
Misa has also played in a system where the goalkeeper is expected to contribute to buildup rather than simply defend the six-yard box. Her distribution and composure should fit naturally into an Arsenal side that wants to control games through possession.
Advertisement
The biggest question is competition. With Van Domselaar also capable of starting at the highest level, Arsenal suddenly have genuine depth in a position where one injury can change an entire season.
Georgia Stanway: The statement signing
Then there is Georgia Stanway.
If Arsenal wanted one signing to immediately change the profile of the midfield, THIS is it.
Stanway returns to England after four seasons with Bayern Munich, where she won four Bundesliga titles and two German Cups. Across 128 appearances for Bayern, she scored 32 goals. In 2025/26, she recorded seven Bundesliga goals and nine assists.
Advertisement
She brings aggression, ball progression, pressing intensity and goals from midfield. She can play deeper, push forward or arrive late into the box, which gives Arsenal tactical flexibility that becomes especially valuable against teams that defend in different ways.
There is also a familiarity factor. Stanway already knows the WSL well from her Manchester City years, where she made 186 appearances and won the league, three FA Cups and three League Cups.
At 27, she is also entering the squad at a point where Arsenal can expect immediate impact rather than another developmental project.
What the departures mean
The incomings make more sense when placed beside the exits.
Advertisement
McCabe’s departure removes one of Arsenal’s most versatile and emotionally significant players. Mead takes away years of attacking chemistry and experience. Pelova’s exit changes the midfield rotation, while Nighswonger leaves after only a short stay but had provided another option at fullback. Zinsberger’s departure ends a long chapter in goal.
Arsenal have not tried to replace every player with a like-for-like substitute. Instead, they have redistributed the responsibilities.
Batlle can bring stability and technical quality at full-back. Stanway adds physicality and experience in midfield. Reuteler gives the attack another connector. Cerci adds goal threat. Baum brings youth and pace. Misa strengthens the goalkeeper group immediately, while Damm represents the longer-term plan.
That is what makes this window so interesting.
Advertisement
Arsenal have lost some of the personalities that shaped their recent era, but they have not simply filled empty spaces on the squad list. They have changed the balance of the team.
The challenge now is turning that potential into chemistry.
A squad this deep gives Slegers options, but it also creates competition for minutes. Baum and Damm need time to develop. Cerci and Reuteler have to adapt to the WSL. Meanwhile, Batlle and Misa will need to settle quickly. Stanway will be expected to look like the player who dominated midfield in Germany from day one.
If it all clicks, Arsenal have built something that looks less like a transitional squad and more like a team designed to compete on multiple fronts; something that already seems to be happening if we look towards pre-season.
Advertisement
After finishing second in the WSL last season, four points behind Manchester City, that is exactly what the club needs.
Related articles from Her Football Hub:
-
Are London City Lionesses challenging the energy of football royalty Barcelona?
-
6 new and rising WSL players to watch this season, including breakout Chelsea and Man Utd stars
-
How Football Manager 26 is helping change perceptions of the women’s game
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