Nikita Parris joins the club

We are delighted to announce that Nikita Parris has joined us from French Division 1 Féminine side, Olympique Lyonnais.

The 27-year-old striker, who is currently with Team GB and about to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, will join up with the squad in pre-season.

Prior to leaving Manchester City for France, Nikita held the record as the all-time leading scorer in the Women's Super League with 49 goals to her name. She also won the 2016 league title, the 2016 and 2018/19 Women's Super League Cup, as well as the 2016/17 and 2018/19 Women's FA Cup. She was named the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year in 2019, and she was included in The Guardian's list of The 100 Best Female Footballers In The World in 2018 and 2019.

Throughout her time at Olympique Lyonnais, Nikita won the 2019/20 UEFA Women's Champions League, the 2020 Coupe de France Féminine, the 2019 Trophée des Championnes, and the 2019 Women's International Champions Cup.

For England, Nikita played a key role in England reaching the semi-finals of the Euro 2017 and a fourth place finish at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. Her six goals during World Cup qualification ranked first within UEFA nations and secured England's place at the top tournament. She helped England win their first-ever SheBelieves Cup in 2019 and will be competing in the Tokyo Olympics next month.

Get Nikita’s look with your 21/22 Arsenal away shirt now from Arsenal Direct!

“I'm very happy to be here, Arsenal has an unbelievable history and I want to be a part of this," Nikita told Arsenal.com. "I want to achieve all domestic titles and compete in the champions league here. I’m happy to be back in the WSL which has grown and improved so much since I left."

Jonas Eidevall, our new head coach, added: “I’m very pleased to have signed Nikita and add to our strong strike force. She is a talented player and has a winners mentality and I’m looking froward to working with her once she returns from the Olympics.”