Jordan Nobbs has moved to Aston Villa as her 12-year-long stint at Arsenal ends up with a move to get minutes to be selected for England’s World Cup squad.

Meadow Park, Borehamwood, Englan Jordan Nobbs 8 Arsenal celebrates after scoring during the FA Womens Super League match between Arsenal and Brighton FC at Meadow Park in Borehamwood. FA Womens Super League - Arsenal v Brighton FC
Meadow Park, Borehamwood, Englan Jordan Nobbs 8 Arsenal celebrates after scoring during the FA Womens Super League match between Arsenal and Brighton FC at Meadow Park in Borehamwood. FA Womens Super League – Arsenal v Brighton FC

Jordan was the longest serving player at the club having joined us in summer 2010 from Sunderland.

Her statistics are just phenomenal:

I remember when I was told that she was joining us back in 2010. I was in Skopje, North Macedonia as I was covering the u-19 Euros where England reached the final and were defeated by France 2-1.

Jordan had been sensational as a 17-year-old with Sunderland that year. In the previous season, she was a star player in the team that lost in the FA Women’s Cup final against Arsenal, while they were still playing in the second tier.

One of the England player’s mum’s casually told me Arsenal were signing Jordan and it really pleased me as I thought she was such an excellent youngster.

Jordan was our only player who played for the club in all the FA WSL now BWSL seasons since its inception back in 2011.

It is a sad end to her Arsenal career, as she certainly deserves a nice sending-off rather than a mid-season departure without a proper good-bye to fans.

At the end of the day, it is clear that the coaching staff does not believe they have a role for her in the team. With the WWC 2023 at the end of the season, she needs regular first-team football to get a chance to be selected for the England team.

The writing was already on the wall last season, so it is not a surprise to see the club allowing her to be transferred.

What I find genuinely puzzling is why the coaching staff did not think she fits in their system.

I mean, we are talking about a very skilled individual, she is technically super strong with on the pitch leadership as well.

She has also a high football IQ, as she is one of the few English players around who can see things and anticipate actions before the happen.

Her ability to scan the pitch and process the visual information in a short time to deliver the right response on the ball or make the right of the ball run is second to none.

If you add her stamina that serves her well in her box to box activity, it is a shame that Jonas Eidevall did not find a place for her.

She leaves the club as a legend and will always be welcomed back.