New Arsenal Ladies manager Pedro Martinez Losa says the competitive nature of the Women's Super League was an important factor in his decision to join the Gunners.
The Spanish coach will take charge of his first game on Saturday when Arsenal travel to Bristol Academy.
The Ladies have another Continental Cup final to look forward to before the campaign is over and Losa feels his squad has the right blend of youth and experience to compete on all fronts.
"It's a big opportunity to bring my experience here and at the same time be part of one of the big projects in Europe and in England," Losa told Arsenal Player.
"There's a big project with youth players to develop those who need to learn how to compete"
"The facilities here shows what Arsenal means, and the philosophy of the club. When you are here you feel you're part of one of the big clubs in history.
"On the women's side we have senior players with a big experience who've played all over the world for their national teams and in the Olympics. At the same time there's a big project with youth players to develop those who need to learn how to compete. The mix of these two things is very attractive.
"The first thing I need to do is understand the philosophy of the club and a big part of this project is to develop English players. That's a challenge for me but it's something I can do because football is the same game. I want to implement things but we don't need to change the system too much."
Gunners veteran Kelly Smith managed the side before Losa's appointment and will resume her role as player-coach. Losa insists Smith will be an essential part of his set-up.
"She is still a player so I think we need to take advantage of her [talent] for as long as we can," said Losa. "She has a big influence in every game and I'm sure she can do it in the future. We need to take care of her so she can give her best to the club like she has been doing for a long time.
"But at the same time her personality and her information as a coach can be very important for me. There's nobody better than her to help me understand things inside the club. I think we can complement each other and do big things."
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