Arsenal's preparations for the upcoming Women's Super League campaign are well underway, with several key figures at the club opening up about their expectations for the season and the summer that shaped them.
As part of a wider tour of WSL clubs ahead of the new campaign, BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly visited Arsenal's training base at London Colney, where host Ben Haines spoke with a group of players and head coach Renée Slegers about life at the club heading into 2026/27.
Among those featured were two of Arsenal's summer signings, England international Georgia Stanway and Spanish full-back Ona Batlle. Stanway discussed the nerves that came with settling into a new environment, her transition to becoming a Londoner, and how her time in Munich contributed to her growth as a player. Batlle, meanwhile, reflected on her formative years at Barcelona, the relationships she has built since arriving in north London, and the adjustment of returning to English football.
Defensive stalwarts Lotte Wubben-Moy and Steph Catley also featured prominently in the conversation. Wubben-Moy spoke about how she spent her break from football, describing her own personal growth and the importance of the people she brings along with her on that journey. Catley, for her part, touched on the culture she and her teammates strive to maintain at the club, emphasizing the values Arsenal hold dear. Despite being far from her native Australia, Catley described the club as feeling like a second home.
The episode closed with an interview with head coach Renée Slegers, who discussed the club's approach to squad building this summer. Slegers highlighted the benefit of completing much of Arsenal's transfer business early, allowing the group more time to gel before competitive action begins. She also spoke about her methods for motivating the squad through team talks and outlined the scale of the club's ambitions for the season ahead.
The visit to London Colney marked the first stop on a broader project by the podcast to speak with as many WSL clubs as possible before the season kicks off, offering fans an inside look at how different squads are preparing for the challenges ahead. For Arsenal, the mixture of experienced leaders and high-profile new arrivals appears to have created a squad brimming with both depth and ambition.
With Stanway and Batlle bringing significant international pedigree to the squad, and established figures like Wubben-Moy and Catley continuing to set the tone in the dressing room, Arsenal's blend of continuity and fresh talent looks set to be a key storyline as the WSL season approaches. Slegers' emphasis on early squad planning suggests a club eager to hit the ground running, rather than using the opening weeks of the campaign to find its footing.
As other clubs across the league continue their own preparations, Arsenal's early moves in the transfer market and the clear sense of identity described by their players suggest a side determined to challenge at the top end of the table once again. The full details of how that ambition translates on the pitch will begin to unfold once the new WSL season gets underway.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport (BBC Radio 5 Live's Women's Football Weekly).