Jordan Nobbs leaves Arsenal

Jordan Nobbs has left Arsenal on a permanent transfer, joining Aston Villa Women. The transfer, Arsenal’s first outgoing of a busy January window, sees the end of Nobbs’ 12-year association with the club. Nobbs, 30, joined Arsenal in 2010 as a 17-year old. At Arsenal, Nobbs won 3 WSL titles, 4 Women’s FA Cups, and 5 Continental Cups. Jordan made 270 appearances for the club and scored 81 goals, and while the term legend is overused, it is an appropriate one for Nobbs.

The move is, in part, because of Nobbs’ search for regular game time. Nobbs missed out on last summer’s European Championships because of injury—an added heartbreak, with Nobbs having missed out on the 2019 World Cup because of a ruptured ACL. She was also not selected for Team GB for the 2021 Olympics, and with the World Cup this summer, there is a sense that she had to play in order to improve her chance to get into Sarina Wiegman’s team. With Nobbs behind Kim Little and Frida Maanum in the pecking order, and Arsenal linked with two midfielders, leaving was, unfortunately, the most logical answer.