'Huge amount of pride' - Lionesses star Lotte Wubben-Moy signs new Arsenal contract to continue Gunners journey that began aged 13

Wubben-Moy progressed through the Arsenal youth set-up and made her senior debut when she was just 16 years old, with her only time away from the club coming when she spent three years at university in the United States, playing alongside future Gunners team-mate Alessia Russo at the North Carolina Tar Heels. That long relationship with Arsenal is now set to continue, after the news of her new contract on Tuesday. The club has not specified the length of the deal but Emma Sanders of BBC Sport has reported that it is a three-year contract. Arseblog, meanwhile, understands that there was interest in Wubben-Moy from clubs in Europe and the NWSL, but that the player wanted to remain with the club she has been associated with since she was 13 years old.

It's not been an easy season so far for the England defender. Injury has limited Wubben-Moy to just five league starts and kept her out of action since the start of February. However, she returned to training with the Arsenal team earlier this month and will hope she can play some part again for the club before the season is over.

Speaking about her new contract, Wubben-Moy said: "I feel a huge amount of pride, excitement and optimism to once again put pen to paper at this special football club. Arsenal is the club I want to win with and I feel this new contract comes at a time in my career where my ambitions are matched by my abilities on the pitch. I’m determined to make this next chapter count."

Head coach Renee Slegers added: "We’re so happy that Lotte has signed a new contract. Lotte is a top defender who has shown significant progression in recent years, and will continue to play an important role as we pursue our shared goal of competing for the highest honours in the game."

Wubben-Moy's determination to get back on the pitch will also be driven by her international ambitions, as she'll hope to be involved with England this summer at the European Championships. The 26-year-old was part of the Lionesses squad which won the tournament back in 2022 and she will be keen to impress Sarina Wiegman in a bid to be part of the title defence, with centre-back a position that is very competitive in this England squad.

To achieve that, though, Wubben-Moy's focus will be on returning to the pitch with Arsenal in the coming games. The Gunners' next outing is a huge one, as they need to overcome a 2-1 deficit from the home leg of their Women's Champions League semi-final against Lyon. Slegers' side face the eight-time winners again in France on Sunday.