Arsenal have confirmed the signing of Canadian international Olivia Smith to a long term contract in what is the first £1 million+ transfer in women’s soccer.
The deal, which eclipses the previous record held by Chelsea’s Naomi Girma, is a landmark contract in women’s soccer, and makes the 20 year old one of the highest profile players on the planet. Smith’s previous club, Liverpool, stood firm in their valuation of the forward, turning down lower offers from Chelsea, and OL Lyonnes amongst others.
“It’s a privilege and an honor to sign for Arsenal,” Smith told club media. “It’s my dream to compete for the biggest titles here in England and in Europe and I’m excited to get started and contribute to doing that here with Arsenal.”
“The atmosphere the supporters create at Emirates Stadium is incredible and I can’t wait to have that behind me now.”
Smith wrapped up her first campaign with Liverpool last year notching 9 goals across 25 appearances for the Merseyside outfit. The club in turn named her their player of the season, setting the stage for a bidding war amongst Europe’s top clubs this summer.
“Olivia is an exciting young player and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal,” said Arsenal Head Coach Renee Slegers. “We’ve been impressed by her mentality and character, excelling in two European leagues at such a young age. I know she has a level of ambition that matches our own and we’re looking forward to working with her as she continues to grow at the club.”
Smith is no stranger to re-writing the history books, as she became Canada’s youngest player to represent the country on the international stage with the SWNT at the age of 15 back in 2019.
For Arsenal, bringing in a player of Smith’s calibre shows the rest of the soccer world that they’re serious about remaining a force at the club level. Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, the ownership group behind the men’s and women’s side, hasn’t been afraid to spend in recent years, and it’s yielded promising results to date.
The Arsenal women are fresh off a Champions League title this past season, and finished 2nd to Chelsea in the Women’s Super League in 2024-25 with a 15-3-4 record. By adding the North York native to their roster, they also inject some much needed youth into a veteran heavy lineup, likely extending their window to compete in the process.
Though the club has yet to confirm numbers, the deal is believed to be valued at $1.34M over the next 4 years.
Photo: Katie Chan. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.