Arsenal secure signing of 82-cap Australia full-back Steph Catley

Arsenal have made experienced Australia full-back Steph Catley their first summer signing, with the defender joining from Melbourne City.

The 26-year-old, who has appeared 82 times for Australia since making her international debut at the age of 18, previously worked alongside Arsenal head coach Joe Montemurro at Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.

In the top division of women’s football in Australia, Catley has won the W-League Championship five times and the W-League Premiership twice, in addition to spells at Portland Thorns FC, Orlando Pride and OL Reign in America. She has made Australia’s World Cup squad for the last two tournaments.

"We're privileged to have Steph at the club," Montemurro told the club website. "She suits our fluidity and she's very good in a positional sense, but more importantly she's very effective going forward, so we're excited to have her as part of the squad and we're looking forward to some exciting times together."

Catley has become the latest Australian arrival in the Women’s Super League, following Chelsea’s signing of Sam Kerr in 2019 and Caitlin Foord’s move to Arsenal earlier this year. Australia, through a joint-bid with New Zealand, won the bidding for the 2023 Women’s World Cup last week. Catley has previously played alongside Arsenal’s Kim Little and Jen Beattie.

"Arsenal is a place where I've imagined myself playing for a long time," Catley added. "This will be my first taste of European football. For me, Joe’s just very good at player-managing: he really understands an individual for what they bring to a team, but also what their life is off the field.

"I’ve always appreciated that about him and I love his playing philosophy. It’s possession-based attacking football. He told me a lot about the inner workings of the club and their philosophies, and I’m aware of how his team’s like to play, so it didn’t take much to get me over the line. It sounds like a club that’s really equal with their men’s and their women’s team, so it’s got everything that I’m looking for in a football club. I’m excited to come over.”