Lacasse: "I feel ready physically and mentally"

We announced our second signing of the summer transfer window on Thursday with the arrival of Cloe Lacasse from Benfica. 

The dynamic forward can play anywhere across the frontline and boasts an outstanding goal record in Portugal, scoring 100 in 129 appearances across all competitions. 

"I think with how my career has been going, it’s just been an upward climb, especially over the last couple of years," said Lacasse after putting pen to paper. "I feel ready mentally and physically to be able to contribute here and win titles. 

"I definitely learnt a lot at Benfica. I had great staff behind me and my teammates were incredible as well and I think it just made me almost a more creative player being able to play with that style of play. I added creative flair which equalled to goals and now I’m just ready to take it to the next level and be able to bring that flair and bring those goals over here. 

So after such a successful period with Benfica why does Lacasse feel like now is the right time to move to England? 

"Being able to play in the Champions League and competing against different leagues and different international players, I realised that I can compete on that stage and having seen Arsenal compete in the Champions League as well and doing as well as they’ve done, I think it was just the right step. I think this club can make it til the end, right? That’s the step that I needed and I think that’s the way I want to contribute going forward, hopefully taking home that Champions League title.

"I’m known to be a very dynamic striker with pace and I love to go one on one, I’m just cringing talking about myself a little bit! But yeah, definitely dynamic, a lot of energy, determination, and of course I love to score goals. Which attacker doesn’t, right?"

Before joining us for pre-season, though, Lacasse is set to represent the Canadian national team at the 2023 Women's World Cup this summer - a chance to impress on the world stage. 

"Being able to represent my national team is fairly new, so it’s been such a surreal experience and now with the World Cup around the corner and getting to represent Canada, which is of course where I grew up playing as a little girl, and my family is over there, it’s going to mean the world. It’s something I honestly haven’t been able to take in yet and once I get there it’s all going to hit me, but I’m super enthusiastic and just ready to meet the girls out there and take home a World Cup hopefully!"