Lionesses icon Beth Mead to leave Arsenal after nine years in north London as Gunners announce three departures ahead of final Women's Super League fixtures

It comes at the end of a season in which Mead has still been an important player, albeit only starting 10 of the Gunners' Women's Super League fixtures. She still ranks joint-fifth for direct goal involvements despite that limited game time, only behind Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius, Frida Maanum and Olivia Smith in WSL action, while only Russo sits above her when it comes to the same stats in this season's Champions League.

It's clear that Mead is still a very impactful figure at the elite level and it was reported by Arseblog that the club did want to keep her around and were willing to make her an offer of a new contract. However, when commenting on Man City's interest, the report said the newly-elected WSL champions were 'likely' to present a longer deal to Mead than the Gunners.

As such, the 31-year-old will depart this summer after nine years in north London, having made 258 appearances, scored 83 goals and put her name at the top of the WSL's list of most assists in competition history. Those contributions helped Arsenal to win one WSL title, three League Cups, the Champions League and the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup.

"Beth has made a huge contribution to our football club over nine years and will go down in history as one of our best forwards and a legend of the club," Clare Wheatley, the Gunners' director of women's football, said. "Beth is such a special person and will always be welcome at Arsenal. I know our supporters will join me in wishing Beth happiness and success in her future endeavours."

Mead isn't the only player who will get to say goodbye to the fans this week either, as Arsenal play their final home game of the season against Everton on Wednesday night, before travelling to Liverpool on Saturday to close out their campaign. Earlier in the day, Arsenal announced that two more players will be leaving at the end of the season, in Laia Codina and Victoria Pelova.

Pelova joined the club in January 2023 and made a really positive impact early on, but then suffered a major setback in the summer of 2024 when she sustained an ACL injury. It would keep the Netherlands international out for nine months and she has struggled to muscle her way back into the team on a consistent basis since.

Codina has also found playing time hard to come by, albeit throughout her entire time at the club. The defender played the whole game in the 2023 Women's World Cup final as Spain beat England and her move to Arsenal was announced shortly after that triumph. But she made just five WSL starts in her first season, four last year and is on five for this term, despite the injuries the Gunners have had at centre-back.

Still, both leave having played their part in Arsenal's recent success, both winning the Champions League and Champions Cup, with Codina also lifting one League Cup and Pelova two.

There could still be more departures for Arsenal to announce. Kim Little, Leah Williamson, Stina Blackstenius and Steph Catley have all agreed new deals in recent weeks, as their contracts neared their respective ends, but the futures of Katie McCabe and Caitlin Foord remain unresolved.

It looked like McCabe would be departing, with Man City interested. However, the Telegraph reported last week that Arsenal could now offer her a new deal. As for Foord, the Gunners did not want to bid farewell to both her and Mead in the same summer, given the way it would deplete the depth out wide, so the departure of the England international could mean that Foord will be extending her stay in north London.

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