Arsenal Women sign Norway midfielder Frida Maanum
Arsenal Women have continued their squad revamp with the capture of the Norway midfielder Frida Maanum, while Birmingham City Women have paid an undisclosed fee to sign the forward Sarah Ewens from Celtic and Leicester have secured Abbie McManus on a free.
Maanum becomes Arsenal’s fourth signing this summer after deals to bring in Mana Iwabuchi from Aston Villa, Nikita Parris from Lyon and Simone
Boye Sørensen from Bayern Munich.
The Arsenal head coach, Jonas Eidevall, who replaced Joe Montemurro in June, said: “We are very happy to bring Frida into our squad. She is already an experienced player and her technical ability paired with her leadership qualities will align to the style of football that we want to play here. We are looking forward to working with her.”
The 22-year-old arrives from the Swedish side Linköping. She told Arsenal’s website: “It’s an honour to sign for a club like Arsenal. The history speaks for itself and I just can’t wait to put on that shirt for the first time.”
Ewens was Celtic’s top scorer last season and can play in several positions up front. The 29-year-old, who has a two-year deal, told Birmingham’s website: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s really good to be here and I can’t wait to get started. It is massive for me, coming down and playing in the top league.
“I love scoring goals and, hopefully, I can bring that to my game down here and also some assists as well. I am a very attacking player and I hope to bring those abilities to Birmingham.”
McManus, who left Manchester United this week, has signed for Leicester on a free. The defender, who spent the second part of last season on loan at Tottenham, said: “I’m excited to meet the staff, players and obviously ready to get started. Walking in, you can tell that the facilities are unreal and it’s exciting to be a part of something that is just for the women, so it’s incredible.”