'What are you doing with this girl?' - Ian Wright urges Arsenal to provide 'clarity' on Jenna Nighswonger with USWNT star seemingly exiled from Renee Slegers' squad

Nighswonger made just four appearances for Arsenal on the back of her reported $100,000 transfer from NJ/NY Gotham FC. She has slipped further out of favour in the 2025-26 campaign, with Slegers favouring alternative options.

Katie McCabe has been lining up at left-back, with Taylor Hinds seemingly the understudy for that role. That situation is leaving a frustrated Nighswonger watching on from afar, much to the surprise of a Gunners great.

Speaking on the Crossways podcast, Wright said: "I need some clarity on what's going on with Arsenal and Jenna. [She had] a good preseason, I'm hearing from people. [She's] more than capable of playing at this level — she's not even in the matchday squads.

If she's not injured, why did they deny her a loan move? Why would they do that? So, Arsenal, answer that. What are you doing with this girl and her career? She's 24, so we're not talking about somebody who's got the time to come over here with that upheaval. She's not 19 where you think, OK, let's give her a couple seasons. She's 24, ready to go and an international. So, Arsenal, sort that out."

Slegers has said of Nighswonger’s standing in Arsenal’s plans: “We have a very strong squad and I'm so happy with the squad and we need the squad because it's going to be a long season with a lot of games and four or five competitions to compete in so that's the starting point.

“Then, me having to make decisions on selection and players who start and finish, that's something I have to carry and that's a burden for me. It's hard, it hurts but that's part of it. I think we need the squad and it was a decision for us to have the squad because we think we need the depth.”

Nighswonger has won 20 senior caps for the USWNT, with the most recent of those being earned at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. She will hope to see domestic minutes over the coming weeks and months as Arsenal compete on multiple fronts at home and abroad.