Eidevall drops hint on Arsenal transfer target with "scouting secrets" claim
Dumped out of the Women’s World Cup in the first round of the knockout stages, the reigning world champions USA are the latest fallen giant forced to sift through the calamitous debris of an upended world order.
The post-mortems of the earliest elimination in USWNT history have been ruthless and pointed. But for all the appraisals and politically driven headlines, one player has emerged from the rubble with her stock categorically higher than where it started – Naomi Girma.
The 23-year-old San Diego Wave defender was a beacon of unflappable poise in an otherwise chaotic World Cup campaign for the USA.
Her exploits have her earned relentless and deserved praise, and now see her linked with a move to Arsenal after Gunners manager Jonas Eidevall commended the player with a veiled hint that a future transfer could be on the cards.
Speaking on Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Eidevall said: "She’s astonishing, phenomenal… a world class talent."
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Pressed on whether Girma might be on his club's radar, Eidevall said: “I can’t tell you here on the podcast because I think it would ruin all of Arsenal’s scouting secrets.”
The Arsenal boss’s admiration of Girma is not singular, with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright making his admiration of the American international known on Twitter.
“Naomi Girma fantastic footballer,” the Gunners legend wrote during the USWNT’s last-16 encounter with Sweden.
Naomi Girma of USA and San Diego Wave showed skill and composure beyond her years at the Women's World Cup (Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Alongside veteran midfielder-cum-centre-back Julie Ertz, Girma played every minute available and habitually cut herself an irreplaceable and robust presence as she denied opposition attacks and offered the facsimile of creativity the American midfield could not.
Indeed, that the USA only conceded one goal in their four showings can be drawn directly to Girma’s awareness and composure, attributes that constantly belied the fact this was the youngster's first-ever Women’s World Cup showing.
The combination of skill, tactical nous and maturity make Girma a recruitment dream.
And Eidevall has not been coy about the need to bolster ranks if Arsenal hope to compete on all fronts after a year in which unprecedented injuries ripped through a threadbare squad, including an ACL injury to key defender Leah Williamson.
The addition of Girma would represent a major building block in Arsenal's ambitions to restore themselves to the pinnacle of English and European football.
Whether Girma will don the Arsenal shirt in the future remains a tricky question. The likelihood of a swift transfer is low after the USA international put pen to paper on a three-year renewal with NWSL club San Diego Wave in June that sees her at the club until 2026.
Girma's influence at the California club has been nothing short of tremendous, with the starlet seizing both the 2022 NWSL Rookie and Defender of the Year awards last season to help the Wave to a third-place finish.
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The laurels also made Girma the first in league history to earn two individual season awards in a rookie year.
And after Girma's displays in the USWNT shirt, her stock looks to only be rising, along with her list of potential suitors.
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