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Arsenal Women have completed the signing of Selina Cerci from Hoffenheim following the expiration of her contract.The Germany international, 26, arrives as needed attacking reinforcement following the departure of Beth Mead, who joined Manchester City this summer after a decade in north London. She has signed a two-year contract with the option for an extra season.
She becomes Arsenal’s second signing of the summer after Georgia Stanway’s transfer from Bayern Munich was confirmed in early July.
“I’m very excited to be here – it’s a big honour to play for Arsenal and I can’t wait to start,” Cerci said. “This is an opportunity to compete against and play alongside top players in one of the best leagues in the world. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and walking out at Emirates Stadium in front of all our supporters.”
Cerci has not spent any of her senior career at Germany’s traditional powerhouse clubs in women’s football (Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg), but that has not stopped Cerci from scoring goals.
The forward scored 16 goals and provided nine assists in 23 matches last season, and has 62 Bundesliga goals in 110 appearances across four clubs (Hoffenheim, Koln, Turbine Potsdam and Werder Bremen).
Arsenal may see it as an added bonus that Cerci is a fan of the club, which she confirmed in an Instagram post during the men’s team’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in the 2024-25 season.
Head coach Renee Slegers said: “I’m so pleased that Selina will be joining our group. She has impressive goalscoring numbers and brings good presence, physicality and forward intent. Combined with her strong work ethic, we feel these qualities make her a great addition to our squad.”
Arsenal have recruited top-level players at the end of their existing contracts in recent years.
Alessia Russo’s signing from Manchester United in 2023 stands as the prime example, but they have done similar since with Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona and Chloe Kelly from Manchester City.
Closing this deal as well as Stanway’s this early should help Slegers discover how she wants to utilise her new players alongside her already existing ones. Russo has proven she can play alongside another centre-forward like Stina Blackstenius, who signed a new contract in April.
This could see Slegers use two strikers more often next season, or simply add to the firepower that may be necessary for Arsenal to win their first Women’s Super League title since 2019.
On the signing, their director of women’s football Clare Wheatley said: “We’re delighted to complete the signing of Selina. She’s an instinctive goalscorer with a proven record in the Bundesliga, and we believe she’s in a strong position to transition to English football and Arsenal. We welcome her and her family to the club.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Arsenal WFC, Women's Soccer, Women's Super League, Transfer News
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