Canadian footballer Cloe Lacasse has made waves with her recent move to Arsenal, seeking competition and growth.

As she navigates the challenges facing Canadian players in the professional scene, Lacasse also shares her aspirations for her new team and the World Cup.

• Cloe Lacasse reveals that her recent move to Arsenal was both a dream and a necessity for her professional growth and development.
• As a Canadian player, Lacasse faces unique challenges due to the lack of a professional women’s league in Canada, which she says will be established in 2025.
• Despite the intense competition at Arsenal, including players like Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema, Lacasse looks forward to pushing herself and contributing to the team’s success.

Challenges and aspirations: Cloe Lacasse on her Arsenal move

With her recent move to Arsenal, Canadian player Cloe Lacasse enters a new phase in her career, one that she describes as both a dream and a necessity.

Lacasse, who previously played for Benfica, joined Arsenal ahead of the Women’s World Cup, ready to face the challenges and opportunities that await.

“I joined Arsenal to play with Mead, Miedema, and Russo – I wanted competition,” said Lacasse.

“When Arsenal came to the table, it was a dream. It was extremely exciting to have the opportunity to negotiate that.

Navigating the Canadian football scene

For Canadian players like Lacasse, the journey to professional football isn’t straightforward.

The absence of a professional women’s league in Canada compels them to find opportunities abroad, a situation that Lacasse hopes will change by 2025.

“It’s one of the challenges right now being a Canadian player. We don’t have a professional league yet, it’s going to be coming up in 2025.

“So most Canadian players have to take different routes to make it professionally and also to be seen on the international level,” explains Lacasse.

Benfica to Arsenal: Lacasse’s professional journey

Reflecting on her professional journey, Lacasse acknowledges the value of her time with Benfica, from where she moved to Arsenal.

Her time at Benfica yielded accolades like the Player of the Year 2022-23 and a Golden Boot in 2019-20.

“That relationship [with Benfica] gained a lot of value and appreciation for both of us. Arsenal was an obvious move from there,” she states.

Moving to Arsenal means joining a team known for its competitive spirit and high-performing players. The team has recently signed Alessia Russo after her Manchester United contract expired, and Lacasse will join an attack featuring Russo, Beth Mead, and Vivianne Miedema.

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to go there, I wanted that internal competition. That’s just going to make the team get better and better each day. I think Arsenal’s going to be a massive threat on the European level and in the WSL,” says Lacasse.

World Cup ambitions and team dynamics

As Canada’s Women’s World Cup journey unfolds, Lacasse prepares for potential encounters with her new Arsenal teammates, particularly Katie McCabe who represents the Republic of Ireland.

In the light of their recent goalless draw against Nigeria, Lacasse remains optimistic about the team’s prospects.

“We know at a World Cup especially now, as the women’s game has grown exponentially, every team that’s here has rightfully deserved their position – there’s no easy games anymore,” she says.

Despite the challenges, Lacasse looks forward to her tenure at Arsenal and the chance to contribute to the team’s success.

As she states, “We need to be challenging for everything we can possibly win.”