Dutch striker Miedema signs new deal at Arsenal

Netherlands international Vivianne Miedema has rejected interest from other top European clubs to sign a new deal with Arsenal, the Women’s Super League club announced on Friday,

The 25-year-old forward had reportedly held talks with several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona but has chosen to stay in London.

Vivianne joined Arsenal from Bayern Munich in 2017 and has scored 117 goals in 144 appearances, including 23 in 39 appearances in the 2021/22 season.

She is the all-time top-scorer in the Women’s Super League (WSL) and topped the league goalscoring charts in 2018/19 and 2019/20.

Vivianne was part of the Netherlands team that won the 2017 women’s Euros and finished second at the World Cup in 2019.

“I think the most beautiful thing about the game is building something with a team and with people around you that you really want to be around,” she said.

“I do feel like I have got that at Arsenal. I feel like for me, winning titles with Arsenal will mean a lot more to me than winning them with another club at the moment. And that’s what I obviously hope to achieve with Arsenal.”

Head coach Jonas Eidevall, whose side finished second in the WSL this year, described Vivianne as a “stellar talent”.

“It’s fantastic news that she is staying with us,” he said. “As a club, our ambition is to win titles and compete at the highest level — we know Viv’s own ambitions are the same, and together we will give everything to achieve that.”