Left-back Jenna Nighswonger signed with Arsenal Women on Thursday morning with an undisclosed fee between both clubs agreed upon, announced by Gotham.
“Thank you, Gotham, for an amazing two years...I am so grateful to ownership, Yael, Juan and my teammates for all the great memories at the club. A big thank you as well to Cloud 9 for all the support!" Nighswonger said in the club statement.
The official transfer comes only three days after Meg Linenan of The Athletic reported on the potential transfer at the time with a $100k transfer fee being disclosed through Linehan's "sources who have been briefed on the deal".
Jenna Nighswonger is also heading to the WSL — Arsenal and Gotham are finalizing the move with a $100K transfer fee according to sources who have been briefed on the deal. @theathletic.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/609...
— Meg Linehan (@meglinehan.com) 2025-01-27T22:03:51.291Z
A girl in the big city
Nighswonger was originally drafted by Goths in the 2023 NWSL Draft with the fourth overall pick. Coming out of Florida State, there was uncertainty on whether she would consider playing in the States due to her desire to play abroad in Europe. Nonetheless, the 2021 national champion decided to try her luck in the NWSL Draft, being one of the last registrants.
She went on to play a pivotal role in only her rookie season. Nighswonger made her professional debut only a couple of months after being drafted and went on to become the NWSL Rookie of the Year, along with making an appearance in every single playoff match of Gotham's championship-winning run in 2023.
During her time with the club, the 24-year old left-back made a total of 58 appearances across all competitions in only two seasons. Due to her performances with the Bats, she was able to make her first senior cap with the United States women's national team just last year, earning a spot in the Olympic squad that won gold this past summer as well.
Across the pond
Nighswonger now joins a growing list of NWSL talent that have transferred over to the Women's Super League in England this offseason.
Most notably, former San Diego Wave center-back and fellow USWNT player Naomi Girma broke the transfer record in women's professional football with the first-ever $1 million move. The trend also applies to non-US -born players with Brazilian international Kerolin Nicoli leaving the North Carolina Courage after three seasons to join Manchester City.
Nighswonger will also be joining fellow US international Emily Fox in North London, who formerly played for the North Carolina Courage in 2023.
Although it could be concerning for fans of the NWSL to see players of this caliber take their talents abroad, many have decided to continue their tenure in the US including the likes of reigning NWSL MVP Temwa Chaminga signing a three-year contract extension with the Kansas City Current, earlier this week.
All this to say, the NWSL is not in trouble perhaps. But sometimes, players just want a change of scenery and a new challenge. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to see how these players match up in one of the best professional women's leagues in Europe.
“We are so proud of Jenna’s trajectory as a player during her time with Gotham FC, and we’ve seen her develop into one of the top players in the league...We wish her all the best in this exciting new chapter with Arsenal and are honored to have played a part in her journey,” Gotham FC general manager and head of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West said in the club statement.
