Danielle van de Donk has left Arsenal to sign for Lyon at the end of her contract.

As expected, Danielle van de Donk has left Arsenal to sign for Lyon on a free transfer after her contract expired.

It as reported back in May that she would not sign a new Arsenal contract and that Lyon would be her destination.

Van de Donk is believed to have agreed a three-year deal with the French side and was offered contracts by Arsenal but did not want to sign any of them.

The midfielder signed her last contract extension with Arsenal in 2019.

Only Lia Walti played more midfield minutes than van de Donk in the season just gone.

Van de Donk has been with Arsenal for more than five years now, joining from Goteburg in Sweden and became the first player from outside the UK and Ireland to make more than 100 appearances for the club.

With 45 goals, a Super League title, FA Cup and two Conti Cups in her locker, it’s not surprising that van de Donk perhaps fancied a change of scenery.

Lyon’s announcement summed her achievements up nicely. They wrote, “Dutch international Daniëlle Van de Donk, who has previously played for Willem II, VVV Venlo, PSV Eindhoven and Göteborg, joins Olympique Lyonnais after six seasons, 98 appearances and 30 goals with Arsenal. With the English club, the midfielder won the FA Cup in 2016, the League Cup in 2018, and the Premier League in 2019. A Dutch international, Daniëlle Van de Donk has 112 caps and 27 goals with her country. European champion in 2017 and runner-up in the 2019 World Cup, she played in the semifinals and the final at Groupama Stadium. Van de Donk, 29, will also participate in the Olympic Games this summer.”

It’s sad to see her go, for sure.