Jonas Eidevall has already hinted that his Arsenal Women star Katie McCabe is important to his project; therefore, it is unlikely that he will let her join French side Lyon Women, where she may reunite with former Gunner Women’s coach Joe Montemurro.
Well, according to David Ornstein, Lyon is interested in signing her. However, there’s a high likelihood that the transfer will not go through. According to the transfer guru’s revelation, Arsenal isn’t too keen on selling McCabe, even if the French club continues to push for the deal.
McCabe became a part of Arsenal in 2015, but it wasn’t until the 2020–21 season that she finally made her mark in red and white. After spending years on the sidelines, she solidified her position that season and became an integral player. In Montemurro’s final season (which was the 2020–21 season), she truly showcased her talent and nailed a spot in Arsenal Women’s lineup.
Jonas Eidevall has consistently relied on her since taking over from Montemurro in 2021, demonstrating his confidence in her abilities. This trust has been evident over the past three seasons, where McCabe’s versatility has been on full display. Under Eidevall, the Ireland women’s captain has become a prominent player, showcasing her versatility by playing in various positions on the pitch, including attack, midfield, and defence (it is only as a goalkeeper that she’s yet to play).
Clearly, she’s the type of player any coach would want on their team, as Eidevall once packaged her as his greatest asset — a player who doesn’t let him down and who’d readily go to war for him (which may leave you wondering why he’d even think to let her go).
“I think Katie has a similar mindset to what I have, and that’s to be saying that when there comes an opportunity to try to see something different, that you look forward to doing that because you know that you maybe learn something new from it,” said Eidevall in the pre-Villa press conference last season.
“You might see new angles, new tools coming into play, so that was my original thinking with it. Let’s try to see how you get Katie’s qualities out in the right full-back position. I find she’s very much like that. Whenever I’ve been coming to her and asking her to play a position, I think I’ve ended up almost asking her about almost all positions except central defender, goalkeeper, and the nine. During my two and a half years here, she always comes in and says, ‘no problem, I’ll play where you need me to be.”
Although she tends to pick up yellow cards, her reliability is never in doubt. Gooners who’ve grown fond of her would be a bit concerned about imagining the possibility of losing her this summer. But everything points to the fact that she’s here to stay, and next year she will mark ten years at the club. She is a Gooner through and through and is quickly becoming an Arsenal legend.
Michelle Maxwell
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