English youngsters, Alessia Russo and Lotte Wubben-Moy, are on the market after leaving UNC and there is certainly a case for trying to sign the hugely talented players.
Due to the Covid-19 situation being handled even worse in the US than in England, and the uncertainty surrounding the NCAA season, the two players have decided to come home early and not to play in their last College Fall Season.
3/3 decision I have ever made. The memories and friendships will last a lifetime. With that being said, due to the uncertainty of the current situation I will be leaving UNC to continue my football journey elsewhere. I look forward to the next chapter. Chapel hill will be missed
— Alessia Russo (@alessiarusso7) August 22, 2020
Dearest Chapel Hill you will always have a place in my heart. @UNCwomenssoccer I am forever a Tar Heel. I’m sorry it’s ending so soon. pic.twitter.com/gQkGvBSOZ4
— Lots (@lottewubbenmoy) August 28, 2020
Both Russo and Wubben-Moy are 21 and have been involved in the England set-up from u15 to the seniors for Lessi, and u21 for Lotte, who captained the team last March against France.
Arsenal know everything about Lotte Wubben-Moy as Pedro Martinez Losa gave her her debut as a 16-year-old. She was a key player during the 2017 Spring Series as Arsenal were unbeaten during the eight-game season, before she moved to study in the States.
Wubben-Moy is a tall, strong centre-back who can pass the ball well. She is also at ease in the defensive midfield position, displaying the versatility Joe Montemurro always look for in a player.
Obviously, Malin Gut has been recruited to perform in both positions, but the recent injury to Jennifer Beattie in the Champions League leaves the team with only 18 senior players now (16 outfielders and two goalkeepers).
We also have two youngsters in Melisa Filis and Ruby Mace, but signing another senior centre-back would add a lot of depth and quality in our defensive set-up.
Lotte also trained regularly with the club while being on holiday in England, so knows the players and the coaching staff very well. It really would make sense to sign her as she is a well-known quantity.
Alessia Russo is a forward who recently received her first cap for England at the SheBelieves Cup.
She can play as a winger or centre-forward, powerful and pacy and that versatility would allow her compete well across three positions in the Arsenal attack. She played club football in England for Chelsea and Brighton.
We all know Joe Montemurro does not like to work with big squads, but having her alongside Vivianne Miedema, Beth Mead, Caitlin Foord, Lisa Evans and Katie McCabe would allow us to double-up all positions in attack.
Injecting new blood would also introduce even more competition for places and that would benefit the club and prevent complacency.
Now, there is a good chance that all the big clubs will be fighting for these two talents.
Hopefully, we will be able to sign one of them and add to our squad for a season that will be extremely competitive.
There is no doubt that five teams will fighting for the three Champions League qualifying spots and a deep squad will be needed when injuries start to hit us again like have in the last two seasons.