Interview

Nighswonger: “I’ve come here to win trophies”

Jenna Nighswonger is full of belief for what she can achieve with the team at Arsenal, having signed for the club on Thursday.

The United States international joined us from US National Women’s Soccer League side Gotham FC.

“I feel so excited,” she said, after arriving at Sobha Realty Training Centre. “This club has so much history, and I'm excited to join it and hopefully help the team win more trophies.

“I want to grow and get better as a player and as a person. I'm just really excited to play in front of the supporters, and I promise to give my all to the club.”

A USWNT international with 18 caps to her name, Jenna will be catching up with a familiar face in Hertfordshire with teammate Emily Fox.

“I texted her a couple of times and we hopped on a phone call, and she had nothing but positive things to say about Arsenal, and that was really exciting to hear, so she talked about how good the culture is and the environment and everything, so yeah, I'm really excited to be part of it now,” Jenna explained.

“I'm obviously happy to be on the same team as Foxy again, and I think I'm excited to just learn from [fellow left-back] Katie McCabe on the field. She's a great player, so just excited to be a sponge and learn from her as much as possible.”

A left-back by trade, Jenna began her career as an attacking midfielder, but versatility is an important trait for every player at Arsenal.

“It was a bit shocking when it first happened,” Jenna said. “But then I started to play and I grew more comfortable and I grew to love the role, love the position, so I've really just leaned in and embraced and tried to get better at that, and thankfully, it's opened up a lot of doors for me.

“I think versatility at this level is just so important, especially as the game is growing and tactics are changing. As a left back, specifically, it's nice to be able to play on the wing or go inside, go high and stuff like that. I think it's always an asset to be able to play multiple positions.

“I think that I play with a lot of heart and I just like to play with joy and freedom, and yeah, I'm always just going to give my all to the team.”