Millwall have confirmed the signing of young centre-forward Rianna Dean, who left Arsenal’s Development Team in search of regular first-team football.

https://twitter.com/millwalllioness/status/884736916184334336

Dean has been outstanding in the last two seasons with the Development team, scoring 52 goals in 34 games, including 37 in 20 games in 2016/17. She was keen to move in order to play first-team football as Arsenal manager Pedro Losa preferred Bethany Mead and Anna Miedema ahead of the youngster.

The England U19 international, who is hoping to be in the final 18-player squad at next month’s U19 European Championships in Northern Ireland, has signed for a team that is on the way up. Millwall Lionesses finished in third place during the Spring Series after finishing in eighth place in 2016.

They have a good record with youngsters, having given minutes to Ella Rutherford (17) and Charlie Devlin (18), who was actually on loan from Arsenal. The two teenagers have been key cogs in the side.

Millwall have many ex-Arsenal youth players who made the switch in search of first-team football the way Dean has just done – goalkeeper Sarah Quantrill, defenders Billie Brooks and Leighanne Robe, midfielder Leigh Nicol and Amber Gaylor and forward Charlie Devlin.