Arsenal Women have completed the signing of Swedish defender Amanda Ilestedt. After spending two years with Paris Saint-Germain of France, the Swedish center-back moves to north London. After Leah Williamson sustained a permanent knee injury in April and her center-back partner Rafaelle Souza left the team the following month, the Gunners are still lacking in defensive alternatives. Ilestedt, 30, a seasoned international for Sweden with 64 caps, has been chosen to represent her nation at the Women’s World Cup this summer in Australia and New Zealand.
“I’m ecstatic. We now have Amanda Ilestedt here,” Arsenal Women head coach Jonas Eidevall said. “She has a wealth of expertise from abroad, and I think she has a terrific balance of presence and technical skill, making her a perfect fit for our team.”
“I’m overjoyed and delighted to be here. I want to win championships, and this club has excellent players and facilities, so I think it’s the best spot for me to do that,” Ilestedt said. “I can’t wait to enter the pitch wearing the Arsenal uniform because there is a true sense of energy surrounding this club and the support has been amazing.”
Leah Williamson’s setback due to injury and Rafaelle Souza’s departure as the usual center-back partner in the summer made it quite clear that Arsenal needed to prioritize defensive cover in this transfer window. Even if Amanda Ilestedt is a little bit older than most of Arsenal’s summer targets, the deal makes sense nonetheless. Her combination of “presence and technical ability” will fit Arsenal’s progressive style of play, according to Jonas Eidevall. Her expertise will also be appreciated as Eidevall, who previously collaborated with Ilestedt in Sweden, tries to assemble a more complete team in the aftermath of last season’s injury problems.
Last season, Arsenal came up just short of winning the Women’s Super League, and their fairly flimsy team was exposed in the latter stages of their miserable campaign. They exerted themselves as much as they could and handled themselves admirably, making it to the Champions League semifinals, but there was a glaring lack of overall strength.
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