Why Arsenal made Smith the first £1m women’s footballer

Olivia Smith’s £1 million move to Arsenal from Liverpool has made her the most expensive signing in women’s football history.

The 20-year-old, who made her Champions League debut at age 15, has agreed to a four-year deal with the champions league team.

Smith’s move surpasses the previous record set by Chelsea, who signed American defender Naomi Girma from San Diego Wave for $900,000 in January.

Smith remarked, “It’s an honor and privilege to sign for Arsenal.”

Smith, who turned professional in 2023, signed for Liverpool from Portuguese side Sporting for a club record-setting $ 200, 000 transfer.

Smith is an “exciting young player” who can “make a big contribution,” according to Renee Slegers, head coach at Arsenal.

In her first season at Liverpool, she finished seventh overall in 20 Women’s Super League games.

After winning the Women’s Champions League, Arsenal vowed to improve their squad and not sit back.

With Smith widely regarded as one of the WSL’s most exciting young players with a high ceiling of potential, this recruit has an eye-catching eye.

She has already established herself in the WSL with a successful season at Liverpool, giving pace and directness to Arsenal’s attacking line-up.

Arsenal have a long history of interest in Smith, but they were forced to sign her by Liverpool in 2024, and they have always been willing to pay when necessary.

After breaking their club record last summer by signing Smith, the Reds will now view this as good business despite losing one of the best young players in the world. They have already made a profit of almost $800,000.

Up until the sum of £1 million was presented, Liverpool’s managing director Andy O’Boyle rejected numerous offers. Liverpool will be able to invest gradually with the £1 million payment in instalments.

This season, the club hopes to use this money to improve the squad in a number of ways.

Liverpool will profit from any upcoming sales thanks to the sell-on clause.

Smith had several suitors, but it is believed that Arsenal’s recruitment presentation impressed her.

Smith started playing football at age five when she signed for Whitby Iroquois SC, and she made her debut at age 12 in the youth team for Canada.

Three years later, in Chongqing, China, she was thrust onto the international stage, playing alongside Brazil and New Zealand.

Smith then competed for Canada in the Concacaf Women’s U20 Championships in 2022 and 2023, and in 2024 he was chosen to play in Canada’s World Cup that year.

She was named the tournament’s best young player after winning 6-0 over El Salvador in the 2024 Gold Cup.

Smith is regarded as the key to Canada’s hopes of capturing international recognition as well as the persona of Christine Sinclair’s talisman record goalscorer.

Smith won the golden boot in her debut season with 18 goals in 11 games with North Toronto Nitros in League 1 Ontario, making her debut club debut in 2022.

After deciding to leave her university eligibility to pursue a career, she signed a three-year contract with Sporting in July 2023, spending one season playing college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions.

For former head coach Mariana Cabral, Smith’s potential was unmistakable. They fought off opposition from Chelsea and PSG.

We were like, “Yep, let’s sign her,” about 30 seconds into the video. She was a complete package, which is unusual, Cabral said to BBC Sport.

She also had physicality and technical skills, according to the author. She can nutmeg you like that and is explosive and strong.

She contacted us because she wanted to begin her professional career. She liked us because our playing style was very possession- and aggressive at the time, and she needed more time to develop.

“But we knew that Portugal would serve as a stepping stone for her, and she would eventually find greater things.”

Smith made 22 league starts (13 goals, nine assists) during her first season in Europe, helping Sporting finish second overall.

Only 76 minutes into her WSL career, Smith scored against West Ham, making her team’s first attacking threat. She immediately became the team’s main attacking threat.

She led all other players in terms of goalscoring, scoring only three goals in her 20 league starts.

Smith also led the opposition in both touches (92) and shots (50), with 16 of his attempts on target and a 14% conversion rate.

She established herself as a player for the big occasion, recording nine goals and one assist in 25 appearances.

She opened the scoring for Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Anfield and scored the team’s first WSL goal.

Smith has enjoyed good company thanks to her goalscoring prowess.

In comparison to her debut WSL seasons, she outscored Mayra Ramirez (4), Vivianne Miedema (4), and new Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo (3), Opta claims, but only two other players over the age of 20 combined scored more goals than Vicky Lopez (10), Cora Zicai (9) and Vicky Lopez (10) in the leagues’ top five.

Arsenal can expect more from their seven-figure signing than just goals, though.

Smith has a variety of options. She spent the majority of last season playing as a striker, but she also averaged a lot of time playing the right, perhaps most impressively in the FA Cup semi-final.

Fara Williams, a former England international, called her “a weapon down the right-hand side” as she spoke about that game.

She has the technical, physical, tactical, and tactical parts, according to Cabral, “you can be very talented but you can’t have the mental part of being focused on your work, being ambitious, and resilient.”

She belongs to the group you want on your team. Give her the ball, and she will be able to adjust. That is unique.

Fans and journalists also need patience. You want everything in today’s society, whether it is right away or even yesterday.

She is not yet at her best, according to reports. She has the power to unlock.