Lisa De Almeida, a central defender at Paris Saint-Germain, has become the subject of Arsenal Women’s final deadline-day signing; the transfer for the France International will likely cost the Women’s Super League giants somewhere around £550,000. The 28-year-old versatile defender joins head coach Rene Slegers’s squad to strengthen the Gunners’ defence ahead of the upcoming campaign. The centre-back joins on the back of five years at PSG, during which time he played 154 matches for the French side as well as competing in both women’s Champions League campaigns each year.
Capped 52 times for his country by France, the defender was part of the French squad at the 2023 World Cup and the EURO 2025.
Wearing kit number five, De Almeida will have the opportunity to challenge Arsenal’s main central defenders for a starting berth and add more defensive cover with an immediate high-level presence within the club’s back line. It is acknowledged that Arsenal currently has defensive coverage issues, as Katie Reid is still recovering from an ACL injury sustained in November last year. The London-based side has needed to add quality defensive personnel for when Leah Williamson and Lotte Wubben-Moy leave gaps in the defence. Covering all these issues, centre-half and right-back defender De Almeida offers huge tactical flexibility to Slegers as he vies for Arsenal’s first WSL title in seven years.
Upon confirmation, a delighted De Almeida spoke of following the club since childhood due to ex-France stars Thierry Henry and Arsene Wenger, who both played at the North London outfit. After a medical and media commitments at the Sobha Realty Training Centre, she will now team up with the rest of the team, who travel to the Midlands to start their league season at Aston Villa on Saturday.
Source: Arsenal FC Official Announcement / BBC Sport / The Guardian
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