Beth Mead has extended her contract with Arsenal. The 27-year-old has been with Arsenal since 2017 after signing from Sunderland, but has taken her game to a new level in the past couple of years.
She enjoyed a formidable 2021/22 season scoring 14 goals and grabbing 19 assists before going on to play a key part in England's EURO 2022 success where she scored six times and grabbed fives assists in order to claim the Golden Boot and player of the tournament. This was then capped off by a nomination for the Ballon d'Or where she finished second only to Barcelona's Alexia Putellas.
She looked to be set to continue that fine form after scoring five goals and grabbing a further five assists in just nine appearances, before an ACL injury last month cut her momentum short. Despite that Arsenal have been keen to move to secure the future of one of football's best players right now and are overjoyed to have tied her down to a new deal.
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"I’m so happy to have signed a new deal with Arsenal," Mead said. "This club is home for me – I’ve grown so much here as a player and a person and I know we can achieve so much more together in the years to come.
"I want to compete to win the biggest trophies in the game and I know that the ambitions at Arsenal match my own, so I can’t wait to get back onto the pitch and help to deliver the success our supporters deserve."
Manager Jonas Eidevall is also delighted with the news and praised the way Mead has dealt with the highs and lows she has faced in recent years.
"It’s wonderful news that we have agreed a new deal with Beth," Eidevall said. "She is a world-class footballer and has proven that on the biggest stage of them all.
"I have so much admiration for the way she has handled success and adversity on and off the pitch over the past few years, and I’m sure she will approach the next few months with the positive attitude we all know Beth for."
The good news comes after Arsenal suffered a potentially devastating setback during their penultimate Champions League group game on Thursday night where Vivianne Miedema was stretchered off the pitch in tears. Speaking after game Eidevall was unable to provide any exact clarity on the injury, but admitted that he was concerned.
"I don’t know yet, I haven’t spoken to her or the doctors," the Swede said after the 1-0 defeat to Lyon. "Right now it takes a lot of my thoughts, I am very concerned over it of course. But we had to stay focused during the game and focus on our performance. I am sorry, I don’t have any update."
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