Interview

Pelova: "Arsenal was always my dream club"

Victoria Pelova is our latest signing to the Arsenal ranks and it's already a dream come true for the 23-year-old Dutch midfielder. 

"I'm buzzing to be here! I'm really proud that I'm here," she said upon signing her contract.

Victoria, who joins us from Ajax on a permanent deal, made a big impression when we met the Dutch side during the Women's Champions League qualifiers in September. 

"I really liked playing against Kim Little - she was so fast! I was always interested in Arsenal and I think after the games against Ajax, they were interested in me."

Victoria is one of many Dutch players to wear the red and white of Arsenal and she's looking forward to contributing to that shared heritage, alongside the likes of Anouk Hoogendijk, Danielle van de Donk, and Jill Roord.

Her current Dutch international teammate, Vivianne Miedema, has always been keen to have Victoria aboard. 

"Viv said last summer: 'You have to go to Arsenal. You have to go to Arsenal' and I was like, 'I want to, I want to!' Then we texted and she said, 'You're gonna live at my home'. We were just joking back then! I want to play with her really badly."

"I think London is a really nice city to live. I'm really nervous to move but I can speak the language a little bit. It was always my dream club Arsenal - that's that's why I wanted to go," she continued.

"I'm honoured to be here at this club. I really want to be part of this team and I'm so excited to play with everyone!"

Check out Victoria's first full interview as a Gunner in the video above!