ARSENAL have announced that that Laila Harbert has put pen to paper on her first professional contract with the club, and the midfielder is very happy about her first big deal.
The Gunners posted on the club website: ‘The 18-year-old defensive midfielder and England under-17s captain joined our academy at the age of nine in 2016 and has since gone on to win several trophies with our under-16s and under-21s teams.
‘Laila made her debut appearance for the first team in May 2024, coming off the bench in our exhibition game against A-League All-Stars Women in Melbourne. Laila also took part in our pre-season tour in Washington D.C this summer, where she came on in the 78th minute to help secure a 2-1 win against Washington Spirit.
‘In addition to her development with our academy and first-team squads, Laila gained valuable experience as part of a dual-registration agreement with Barclays Women’s Championship club Watford during the 2023/24 season, making 14 appearances for The Hornets.
‘An experienced England youth international, Laila has had a particularly exciting year as captain of the under-17 Lionesses. This summer, Laila led the team at the UEFA European Championships in Sweden as they reached their first-ever final before missing out to Spain. A few months later, in October, Laila then captained the team to a fourth-place finish at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic.’
Harbert said: “It’s such a proud moment, not only for me, but my family and everyone else who helped me get here as well,” she said. “So, it’s a really nice feeling.
“I think there’s definitely been challenges along the way, playing up age groups, training with the boys, but ultimately, they just helped me get out my comfort zone. And it’s a real credit to the club to see so many of us coming through now.
“I’m really proud of us, and to be on this journey together is so special. Originally, we got a bit of stick for sticking together on our kids table, but now we’ve found our own and settled so it’s really nice.”
