Arsenal Women's five most expensive transfers of all time

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 12 Oct 2024 12:29 BST
• 5 min read

Similar to the men’s team, Arsenal Women are no longer the dominant force they used to be, although they remain one of the best sides in England.

The Gunners won 12 of the 13 available WSL titles between 2001 and 2012, including nine in a row from 2003-04 onwards.

However, their overwhelming success has grinded to a halt, with only one league title in the past decade. Despite this, Arsenal have spent fairly heavily in the transfer market in a bid to reclaim their place at the top of the tree.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through Arsenal Women’s five most expensive transfers of all time.

5=. Cloe Lacasse - €100k (from Benfica, 2023)

Arsenal paid Benfica €100,000 to sign forward Cloe Lacasse in 2023, despite the fact Alessia Russo had already arrived on a free transfer.

After an impressive spell in Iceland, Lacasse joined Benfica in 2019 and went on to score 100 goals in 129 games for the Portuguese giants.

That incredible goal-scoring record prompted Arsenal to lodge a six-figure bid for the Canadian, who only received her first international cap at 27 years old.

5=. Laia Codina - €100k (from Barcelona, 2023)

Fresh from helping Spain win the Women’s World Cup and Barcelona win a league and Champions League double, Laia Codina joined Arsenal for €100,000 in August 2023.

The defender started four games on Spain’s journey to lifting the famous trophy in Australia, and was seen as a major coup for Arsenal given her reputation from Barcelona.

Codina left Barcelona having made 36 appearances for the club she joined as a 14-year-old.

5=. Nikita Parris - €100k (from Lyon, 2021)

Nikita Parris has played for almost every big club in the women’s game and has bounced around the WSL for years, but it’s her transfer from Lyon to Arsenal in 2021 that sees her enter this list in fourth place. That move cost the Gunners €100,000.

However, Parris struggled at Arsenal and she netted just one WSL goal, and six in all competitions, during her only season at the club.

She may have become Arsenal’s club-record signing at the time, but Parris left after just one year to join Man Utd in 2022.

4. Daphne van Domselaar - €119k (from Aston Villa, 2024)

Arsenal signed Netherlands international goalkeeper Van Domselaar in the summer of 2024 from Aston Villa. Although she had a release clause worth around €238k, it was subsequently reported that the Gunners paid "closer to" €119k.

Head coach Jonas Eidevall said: “We’re delighted to bring Daphne to the club. She is a top goalkeeper and already has considerable experience on some of the biggest stages, while we believe she has a great deal of potential for future development, too. Daphne will further strengthen our goalkeeper unit and will be a strong addition to the team as we prepare for an important new season.”

3. Lina Hurtig - €136k (from BK Hacken, 2022)

Lina Hurtig’s move to Arsenal came after a two-year spell at Juventus, during which time she scored 11 league goals in 34 games for the Turin side.

The Sweden international had only recently signed a new contract with Juventus, but she was instantly keen to join Arsenal when the Gunners expressed their interest.

The Gunners paid a reported €136k to sign Hurtig, although the exact transfer fee has been debated.

2. Rosa Kafaji - €220k (from BK Hacken, 2024)

It's unclear exactly how much Arsenal spent to sign Rosa Kafaji from Swedish side BK Hacken, but Swedish reports indicate the fee was around the €220k mark.

Kafaji was signed to replace Vivianne Miedema and turned down the likes of PSG, Juventus and Real Madrid to join the Emirates club.

The striker is reckoned to be one of the brightest talents to come out of Sweden.

“It just feels right to be at Arsenal. I’m hungry to keep growing, and I know this is the right place for me to do that and compete for the biggest trophies,” she said when joining the club in August 2024.

1. Kyra Cooney-Cross - €250k (from Hammarby, 2023)

Arsenal rounded off an impressive 2023 summer transfer window with the addition of Hammarby's Kyra Cooney-Cross, fresh from her eye-catching performances for Australia at the Women's World Cup.

The midfielder joined the Gunners for an initial €250k, although that fee could rise as high as €350k if add-ons are met. That would make her the joint-second most expensive WSL player in history.

That fee is particularly noteworthy given Cooney-Cross would've been a free agent in January 2024, but Arsenal were keen to fight off competition from Chelsea and Manchester United.

The five most expensive Arsenal Women signings of all time