Jon Barker had the opportunity at Arsenal Women’s media day to speak exclusively with one of the club’s latest arrivals, Ona Batlle. The Spanish international, who has joined the Gunners ahead of the new campaign, discussed her move to north London, her ambitions with Arsenal and what she is hoping to achieve during her time at the club.
The full-back joined the Gunners after leaving Barcelona, returning to England following her previous spell with Manchester United.
Batlle admitted Arsenal’s style of play was a major factor in her decision, while the opportunity to return to what she considers the most competitive league in women’s football also appealed to her.
“I think Arsenal plays the way I like to play,” Batlle said.
“I was very excited as well to be back in the WSL. I think it’s the most competitive league and it was like a new challenge for me that I was really looking forward to.”
A New Challenge
Batlle stressed that her decision was about looking ahead to the next stage of her career rather than focusing on her departure from Barcelona.
The Spanish international said every player will have their own reasons for making a move, but for her, Arsenal represented the ideal opportunity.
“As I said, for me it was a new challenge that I wanted to take coming back to the WSL and especially to Arsenal,” she explained.
“It’s the team that fits better the way I want to play.”
The 26-year-old has experience playing on both sides of the defence and is comfortable operating at either full-back position.
With Arsenal having a need for greater depth at left-back, Batlle could potentially be an option on that side, although she has yet to discuss her exact role with new head coach Renée Slegers.
“I haven’t spoken with Rene about that yet,” she said. “It’s been literally like two days. I think today was the first day touching the ball, so I think we’ll have time to talk about that.”
“I am happy to play both sides. I always said it’s nice. For me, I enjoy both sides. So if I have to play on the left, I’ll play on the left. If I have to play on the right, I’ll play on the right.”
“The Most Competitive” League
Having experienced the WSL with Manchester United before moving to Barcelona, Batlle has already seen first-hand how the English game has developed.
She believes the league has continued to grow, with more major players arriving and clubs investing heavily in their squads.
“I do believe the English league at the moment is the most competitive one,” she said.
“I think loads of big players are in this league. And I think all the teams have stepped up.”
“So I think there are loads of good clubs that are trying to invest and trying to get good teams to compete well and try to win this league.”
Batlle has already set her sights on adding a WSL title to her list of achievements, having never won the competition during her career.
“I think it’s one of the things I’m very excited for, trying to win the WSL,” she said. “It’s something I haven’t done and I’m really excited to do it with Arsenal.”
“Hopefully, we will be there to compete for it.”
Club Focus
The timing of Batlle’s move to Arsenal comes with a major international tournament on the horizon, with the World Cup taking place later in the year.
However, the defender insists the tournament did not influence her decision.
“Not at all. I wasn’t thinking about the World Cup,” Batlle said.
“I was thinking about my next step. I was thinking about not only this year, I was thinking about the next years of my career.”
Batlle believes the timing was right for her to return to the WSL and take on a new challenge with Arsenal.
“I think I’m in a good age to come back to the WSL,” she added. “I think it was the perfect timing for me to join Arsenal and to try to win everything.”
While the World Cup will naturally become an important part of the season later on, her immediate focus is on settling into life at Arsenal and building relationships with her new team-mates and staff.
“At the minute, yeah, really only thinking about the club and starting to connect with players, with staff and getting everything ready for the season.”
External Influences
Despite Arsenal’s long history in women’s football, Batlle admitted she did not grow up watching the women’s game in the same way young players can today.
The Spanish defender said there simply were not the same opportunities to watch women’s football when she was growing up.
“I wasn’t watching women’s football,” she said.
“I think there wasn’t any way to actually watch the league or the Champions League in that moment. I wish I could have.”
“I wish I could have had the facilities that all these kids have now to be able to enjoy the women’s football that we play.”
There was, however, an Arsenal connection in Batlle’s childhood.
Her brother was a huge fan of former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fàbregas, meaning the family followed the men’s side.
“I did watch Arsenal in the men’s team,” Batlle explained.
“Especially because, this is a good story, because my brother was a big, big fan of Cesc Fàbregas. So we did watch Arsenal and we did follow Arsenal because my brother was a big fan of Cesc Fàbregas when he was here.”
Reuniting With Familiar Faces
Batlle will not be starting completely from scratch at Arsenal, with several familiar faces already inside the squad.
She is set to reunite with Mariona Caldentey after the pair previously played together at Barcelona, while she also knows Alessia Russo from their time together at Manchester United.
Batlle is particularly excited about linking up with Mariona again, recalling the strong connection they had during their time together in Spain.
“Especially playing with Mariona, I’m very excited,” she said.
“When I played with her at Barca, I remember we had such a good connection. She’s a really good player. I think she makes it easy for all the players around her.”
“So, yeah, looking forward to playing with her again.”
Batlle also believes Russo has developed considerably since their time together at Manchester United.
“I do think Alessia has improved a lot,” she said.
“I think she was already one of the best nines in the world, but now playing all these big competitions, playing for her country, and being as successful as she’s been, I think she’s definitely one of the best number nines in the world.”
The opportunity to work with Russo again is something Batlle is relishing.
“I’m very excited to try to link up again with her and try to make her score goals.”
Ready to Compete
Returning to England was not necessarily something Batlle had planned while she was at Barcelona.
She admitted that when she was in Spain, she did not expect to leave again. But when the time came to consider the next stage of her career, the WSL quickly became an attractive destination.
“When I was at Barca, I didn’t even think about leaving again,” she said.
“But when I had to make a decision about my next future, my next years, obviously it was a big step coming back, especially because the league has grown that much.”
Batlle enjoyed her previous experience in England and believes now is the right time to return.
“It was a good time and a good place to be to enjoy these next years and to be here and especially compete every weekend.”
She is also adjusting to a new part of England after previously living in Manchester.
Batlle already speaks the language and has experience of life in the country, but admits there is still plenty to settle into.
“It is a new life, it is a new town, new people, new team, so it is going to be a little bit of time to settle down,” she said.
“I still don’t have a proper house or place to be living in. So, yeah, it’s going to be something new.”
“But I’m really looking forward to it. I always liked London and now I’m going to be able to live here and see what it is like.”
Consistency is Key
For Batlle, Arsenal’s challenge for the WSL title will ultimately come down to consistency.
The defender believes being able to perform every weekend, particularly in a league as competitive as the WSL, will be crucial if Arsenal are to finally get over the line.
“To be able to compete or to be there to win the league is constant,” she said.
“I think to be a constant team, I think that’s what’s about to win the league. It’s like every weekend you have to perform, you have to win.”
“Or if you don’t have a good week or you don’t have a good day, you have to, I don’t know, get the win as possible anyway.”
With Arsenal also competing in the Champions League, Batlle knows squad depth will be essential.
“I think having a good squad and it’s big, it’s going to help us to perform well in every competition.”
“The Right Place to be at the Right Time”
Ona Batlle says Arsenal was the “right place” at the “right time” as the Spanish international prepares to begin a new chapter in the Women’s Super League.
Her decision to join Arsenal was ultimately driven by the belief that the club could provide the right environment for the next stage of her career.
She said Arsenal showed her how she could fit into the squad, but the move was also something she actively wanted.
“They show what they are, basically,” she said.
“Of course, they looked at me like, seeing you’re a player that you can actually fit in the squad, you fit in the team.”
For Batlle, it came down to timing, the style of football and the challenge of returning to England.
“I think it is the right place to be at the right time for me,” she said.
“And I think it’s the league that as well I was looking forward to play because it’s the most competitive and where I’m seeing I’m going to be the most challenged.”
Looking Forward to the Emirates
One of the biggest attractions of joining Arsenal is the opportunity to play in front of the club’s passionate supporters at the Emirates Stadium.
Batlle has already experienced playing at the Emirates as a Manchester United player, but now she is looking forward to feeling the support from the other side.
“Yeah, I’m so excited,” she said.
“That’s one of the most exciting moments I’m looking forward to, especially being at Emirates and having all the crowd, like feeling them.”
Batlle hopes the stadium will be packed throughout the campaign and is eager to experience the atmosphere as an Arsenal player.
“I’m really looking forward to feel the fans behind us.”
Having previously played at the Emirates, she also understands the connection between Arsenal and its supporters.
For Batlle, that relationship is another reason why she believes she has joined a club capable of competing at the highest level.
“It’s one of the beauties of this club,” she said.
“How are they connected to the fans, to the crowd, how they have been in the history of the club.”
“Having all these fans just makes me excited and makes me think that it’s a big club, that they do things well and that I wanted to be a part of it.”
Now, with pre-season underway and a new challenge ahead, Batlle is ready to begin her Arsenal journey with ambitions of competing for the WSL title and challenging for silverware across every competition.
