| Name | Victoria Pelova |
|---|---|
| Squad number | 21 |
| Date of birth | June 3, 1999 |
| Place of birth | Delft, Netherlands |
| Signed for Arsenal | January 6, 2023 |
| Signed from | Ajax |
| Arsenal debut | v Aston Villa (H), Continental Cup, January 26, 2023 (won 3-0) |
| First Arsenal goal | v Leeds United (H), FA Cup, January 29, 2023 (won 9-0) |
| Honours |
Continental League Cup: 2023, 2024 Eredivisie: 2022/23 KNVB Women's Cup: 2021/22 |
| International career | 55 caps and 4 goals for the Netherlands |
Dutch midfielder Victoria came of age last season, starring in the centre of midfield and racking up 32 appearances in all competitions – no one featured in more games than her, and only Katie McCabe (28) topped her 25 starts – so it was a cruel blow that the cultured playmaker should suffer an ACL injury while on international duty with the Netherlands in June 2024.
Her close control, ability in tight spaces and eye for a pass have echoes of midfield partners Kim Little and Lia Walti, yet she is robust in the tackle and versatile enough to play in a central role, higher up the pitch or, as she does occasionally for the Netherlands, at right back. Victoria joined from Dutch champions elect Ajax in January 2023 and made an instant impression, featuring 21 times in all competitions during the remainder of the 2022/23 season.
A Netherlands international since 2018, she featured at the 2020 Olympics, netting two goals, 2022 Euros, where she scored in a 4-1 win over Switzerland, and 2023 World Cup, where the Dutch lost 2-1 after extra time to eventual champions Spain in the quarter-final.
| 2023/24 season | Career | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |
| Women's Super League | 20 starts, 2 subs | 2 | 30 starts, 4 subs | 3 |
| Champions League | 2 subs | 0 | 3 starts, 3 subs | 0 |
| FA Cup | 2 starts | 0 | 3 starts, 1 sub | 1 |
| Continental Cup | 3 starts, 3 subs | 0 | 4 starts, 5 subs | 0 |
| TOTAL | 25 starts, 7 subs | 2 | 40 starts, 13 subs | 4 |
