Alessia Russo's first words after leaving Man Utd for Arsenal
Alessia Russo has officially signed for Arsenal one a free transfer after her Man Utd contract expired.
The England forward officially completed her move to the former WSL champions this afternoon, with the Gunners announcing the deal via twitter, with the words "Welcome to the Arsenal family. Alessia Russo is our new No.23." Russo has signed a permanent deal with the North London side, although the length of the contract is currently undisclosed. United turned down two world record bids from Arsenal for Russo during the January transfer window, but the striker has now swapped Manchester for London.
Russo is currently preparing with the Lionesses' squad ahead of the 2023 World Cup finals, with Sarina Wiegman's team facing Haiti in just under three weeks' time. Now the 24-year-old has spoken for the first time since signing for Jonas Eidevall's team and pinpointed a moment from last season that helped convince her to join.
"I’m really excited to be here and I can’t wait to get going," said Russo. "I want to win trophies – as does everyone in this club.
"I can’t wait to get stuck in and grow as a player – it’s a new challenge and a new environment. I think the growth of the women’s game has been incredible, but particularly at a club like Arsenal.
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"The sell-out against Wolfsburg at Emirates Stadium last season was fantastic and I’m just really excited to be part of this club."
Russo is expected to start as England's main forward Down Under having found the net for England 11 times in 21 senior appearances. Arsenal manager Eidevall believes his team have signed a proven goalscorer and will hope her goals can help fire them to the title next season.
Alessia Russo scored a dramatic late winner against new club Arsenal last season at the Emirates (Photo by Harriet Lander/Getty Images)"Alessia is one of the best forwards in the world and has significant potential to continue growing and improving," added Eidevall. "She has a proven track record of scoring goals in the WSL and at international level.
"And we believe she will be a quality addition to our forward line, so we’re all delighted to have brought her to the club."
Russo becomes Arsenal’s third signing of the summer. The England forward joins after the additions of defender Amanda Ilestedt and forward Cloe Lacasse from Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica respectively.
Arsenal tried to sign Russo in January after their forward line was hit by serious injuries, with both Beth Mead and Viv Miedema ruled out for the season with ACL injuries. But the pair could now line-up alongside the England No.23 next season, giving the Gunners one the strongest attacks in the WSL.
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