Arsenal‘s manager, Joe Montemurro, is wasting on time in strengthening his squad. Less than two weeks after his side lifted the Women’s Super League trophy, they have announced the signing of Dutch international Jill Roord from Bayern Munich.
Roord joins her fellow international teammates Vivianne Miedema, Danielle van de Donk and Sari van Veenendaal.
She told Arsenal.com “It’s always nice if you go somewhere and there are some familiar faces on and off the pitch. That really helps and I’m really happy that I’m going to play with them over there. They also told me that I’m going to like it here and that it’s a good step. It will fit the way I play and the way Arsenal want to play too. I’ve talked to them and it’s my decision because I felt really good about it, but it helps that they’ve said these good words.”
The 22-year-old began her career with FC Twente’s U13 side before progressing through the ranks, making her first team debut at the tender age of 16 years old. She helped the team twice win the BeNe League (Belgian and Dutch leagues combined in a single League during 2012 to 2015), the Eredivisie (Dutch League) once and the KNVB Women’s Cup (Dutch Cup) once.
Her potential was clear to see so the Frauen-Bundesliga outfit Bayern Munich snapped her up in 2017. Over two seasons Roord made 36 first team appearances, scoring 13 goals.
Despite her tender years, Roord is an experienced Dutch international with forty caps. I fully expect to see her star for the Orange Lionesses‘ in France this summer. The Dutch have a tricky group which features Canada, Cameroon and New Zealand.