We’re delighted to announce that Laila Harbert has put pen to paper on her first professional contract with us.
The 18-year-old defensive midfielder and England under-17s captain joined our academy at the age of nine in 2016 and has since gone on to win several trophies with our under-16s and under-21s teams.
Laila made her debut appearance for the first team in May 2024, coming off the bench in our exhibition game against A-League All-Stars Women in Melbourne. Laila also took part in our pre-season tour in Washington D.C this summer, where she came on in the 78th minute to help secure a 2-1 win against Washington Spirit.
In addition to her development with our academy and first-team squads, Laila gained valuable experience as part of a dual-registration agreement with Barclays Women’s Championship club Watford during the 2023/24 season, making 14 appearances for The Hornets.
An experienced England youth international, Laila has had a particularly exciting year as captain of the under-17 Lionesses. This summer, Laila led the team at the UEFA European Championships in Sweden as they reached their first-ever final before missing out to Spain. A few months later, in October, Laila then captained the team to a fourth-place finish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.
“It’s such a proud moment for me and my family to be able to put pen to paper on a professional contract at a club that feels like home,” said Laila. “I joined Arsenal’s academy at such a young age so to be able to invest my future in a place that I’ve grown up in is a special feeling”.
Head of Player Development James Honeyman added: “Laila has made her way up through our academy to become part of the first-team squad, and we couldn’t be prouder of her and the way she has developed. At Arsenal, one of our key focuses is to ensure that our youth players have clear development pathways into first-team football, so to watch Laila progress to the next level is a proud moment for all involved.”
Director of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley said: “We’re thrilled that Laila has signed her first professional contract with us. Laila has been a key part of our academy in the different age groups and has made a great start to life around the first team, thanks to lots of hard work and her dedicated attitude. We’re delighted to see another great prospect come through our academy set-up and we look forward to seeing Laila continue to grow here.”
Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Laila and we all look forward to seeing her continued development at the club.
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