By Opta Analyst | Created at 2026-09-04 10:59:10 | Updated at 2026-09-04 12:19:47
1 hour ago
As Arsenal prepare for another WSL campaign, they face a familiar question: what will it take to win the title again? Seven years on from their last league triumph, Renée Slegers has strengthened an already formidable squad. But could their latest signing be the final piece of the puzzle? We take a closer look at how she fits into Arsenal’s title ambitions.
Arsenal have finished second in each of the last two Women’s Super League seasons, behind Manchester City last term and Chelsea the year before.
Stretch the timeframe a little further and the frustration becomes even clearer: Arsenal have been WSL runners-up in three of the last five seasons. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, at least when it comes to the WSL.
That’s not to say this has been an era without success. Far from it.
In May 2025, Arsenal ended an 18-year wait for European glory by beating defending champions Barcelona 1-0 in Lisbon to win the UEFA Women’s Champions League, becoming European champions for the second time and remaining the only English women’s club to have lifted the trophy.
But the domestic prize they once dominated continues to elude them; Arsenal haven’t won the WSL since 2018-19.
That made this summer particularly significant. Yet rather than embark on a major rebuild, Arsenal have focused on refining a side already operating at an elite level. Their recruitment has been targeted, addressing specific areas of need and searching for the marginal gains that could be enough to turn a second-place finish into a title-winning campaign.
Their latest move may be the most intriguing of the lot. The Gunners have agreed a deal worth more than £500,000 to sign France international Élisa De Almeida from Paris Saint-Germain.
The versatile 28-year-old can play at centre-back or right-back, providing Renée Slegers with valuable defensive flexibility. Her arrival also boosts Arsenal’s depth in an area that has been tested by injuries to Leah Williamson and Katie Reid, while also helping to offset the loss of Katie McCabe, who was often required to fill in centrally last season when injuries struck.
Who is Elisa De Almeida?
De Almeida arrives in north London with considerable experience behind her.
She has spent the last five years at Paris Saint-Germain, making more than 100 appearances for the club and establishing herself as a regular at both domestic and Champions League level. But it’s what she has done without the ball that immediately stands out.
Since joining PSG in July 2021, De Almeida has regained possession 572 times – more than twice as often as any other PSG player over that period.
She also leads every PSG player over the same period for interceptions (122) and tackles won (67).
And that defensive influence remained evident last season. De Almeida made a team-high 34 interceptions in the Première Ligue and won 75% of her aerial duels, a success rate bettered among PSG players only by Paulina Dudek, who played significantly fewer minutes.
Yet there is obviously more to her game than simply winning the ball back.
De Almeida registered four league assists last season, the fifth-most by any defender in Première Ligue, while among PSG defenders who played at least 500 minutes, only Olga Carmona averaged more passes ending in the final third than De Almeida’s 14.0 per 90.
Those qualities could prove particularly valuable for an Arsenal side that will spend long periods of the season dominating possession.
However, there is an obvious question.
Does the WSL’s Best Defence Really Need Strengthening?
On the evidence of last season, perhaps not. Despite injuries disrupting Renée Slegers’ options at the back, Arsenal still finished the campaign with the strongest defensive record in the WSL.
They kept a league-high 11 clean sheets and conceded just 14 goals across 22 matches. Their opponents managed only 152 shots against them all season, with 53 of those hitting the target, both tallies fewer than against any other WSL side.
Even when Arsenal did make mistakes, they were rarely punished. Only three errors led directly to goals, with champions Manchester City the only side to record fewer (0).
Dig a little deeper, however, and there is room for improvement. The Gunners made 12 errors leading to opposition shots, their joint-highest total in a single WSL season (also in 2024-25).
There is also the question of personnel; Katie McCabe’s departure takes away far more than defensive cover.
The Republic of Ireland international led all Arsenal defenders last season for recoveries (104), interceptions (19) and chances created (23), underlining just how much she contributed both with and without the ball.
What makes those defensive numbers even more impressive is that Arsenal achieved them without being able to consistently call upon Leah Williamson.
The England defender played just 233 minutes in the WSL last season, starting only twice; the Gunners did not lose any of the six league games in which she featured, conceding just once.
Her limited availability also placed greater demands on the rest of Slegers’ defence – something that becomes particularly relevant this summer with McCabe, another player capable of filling in centrally, no longer at the club.
For Arsenal, then, strengthening defensively isn’t necessarily about improving their first-choice defence. It’s about ensuring their level doesn’t drop when those first-choice players aren’t available.
Could This Finally Be Arsenal’s Year?
De Almeida, of course, isn’t the only piece Arsenal have added this summer.
Slegers has overseen a significant refresh of a squad that was already operating remarkably close to title-winning level, adding quality across the pitch rather than concentrating on one obvious weakness.
Georgia Stanway brings control and experience to midfield. Since 2022-23, no player in the Frauen-Bundesliga completed more passes in the opposition half (2,919) or successful passes ending in the final third (1,495).
Selina Cerci adds another significant goal threat. She scored 32 goals in 43 Bundesliga appearances across her two seasons with Hoffenheim, more than any other player in the competition during that period, while converting 25.4% of her shots.
And in Ona Batlle, Arsenal have recruited a full-back capable of replacing some of the attacking output lost with McCabe. Across her three seasons at Barcelona, no Liga F defender registered more than Batlle’s 16 assists, while she also created 94 chances.
Add the adaptability of Géraldine Reuteler and the potential of Lisa Baum, and this begins to look less like Arsenal addressing individual gaps and more like an attempt to build a squad capable of sustaining a title challenge across an entire season.
Perhaps the most compelling argument for Arsenal this season isn’t who they have signed. It’s how close they already were.
The Gunners finished just four points behind champions Man City last season, but their underlying performances were arguably even stronger than their final position suggested.
Arsenal topped the WSL’s expected-points table with 49.7 xPts, ahead of City (47.3) and Chelsea (43.7). They lost just once all season and spent only 8% of their league minutes trailing, the lowest proportion of any side.
Ultimately, it was the fine margins that hurt them. Six draws proved costly, even as Slegers’ side finished the campaign on a 17-match unbeaten run, winning 13 of those games and just two of their club-competition record.
The Opta supercomputer certainly believes they are getting closer.
Arsenal enter 2026-27 with a 25.6% chance of winning the WSL, an increase of 14.5 percentage points from their pre-season probability a year ago. Only 2.2 percentage points separate them from reigning champions Manchester City.
Chelsea remain title favourites according to the supercomputer (40.6%), while City arrive as reigning champions. In a race that tight, there is little margin for error.
Which brings us back to De Almeida. Arsenal do not need her to revolutionise their defence. On last season’s numbers, it was already the strongest in the WSL.
What they need is for that back line to maintain its elite standards in spite of injuries, rotation and the demands of a lengthy campaign, while the quality added elsewhere helps convert fine margins into decisive advantages.
De Almeida may not be the signing that transforms Arsenal. But she could prove to be the final piece of the puzzle, helping turn a side that has so often fallen just short into WSL champions once again.
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