In Focus: Arsenal's summer signings under the spotlight

Arsenal have had a busy summer in the transfer window.

The Gunners brought in five new players, with Amanda Ilestedt, Cloe Lacasse, Alessia Russo, Laia Codina and Kyra Cooney-Cross arriving in North London.

Those new additions have raised expectations after last season's third-place finish — and there is hope that Jonas Eidevall's team could close the gap to Manchester United and Chelsea.

Ahead of today's Women's Super League season opener against Liverpool, we take a closer look at the Gunners' new recruits.

Amanda Ilestedt

Few defenders offer the quality and experience of Sweden international Ilestedt, who has joined up with compatriot Eidevall after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

The 30-year-old spent two years in the French capital, following two seasons with Bayern Munich.

Ilestedt was particularly impressive in the 2023 Women's World Cup, scoring four goals and proving a huge threat from set-pieces.

She also proved herself an adept ball-playing defender, completing 321 passes with an accuracy rate of 85.6%.

Cloe Lacasse

Arsenal have added more experience in attack with the addition of 30-year-old forward Lacasse.

The Canadian was prolific in Portugal with Benfica, scoring 22 goals in 22 league games last season.

Unsurprisingly, Gunners boss Eidevall is excited about what Lacasse will add to his side.

He said: "Cloe is a proven goalscorer and has shown her quality over a number of seasons in two European leagues as well as the Champions League.

"She will add a different dimension to our attacking game."

Alessia Russo

Arguably the major coup of this summer's transfer window, Arsenal signed Russo after her Manchester United contract expired.

The Gunners had previously made a world-record bid for the England international in January, so were keen to finally secure her signature when the opportunity arose.

She scored 10 WSL goals last term as United finished just two points behind champions Chelsea and brings plenty of proven quality — with room to develop at just 24.

Russo said: "I want to win trophies — as does everyone in this club. I can't wait to get stuck in and grow as a player — it's a new challenge and a new environment."

Laia Codina

While Ilestedt has been brought in as a more experienced head in defence, Codina could be an exciting one for the future.

A youth prospect at Barcelona, the 23-year-old is especially adept at playing out from the back, ranking second in Liga F last season for passes completed per 90 minutes (85.4).

With an impressive accuracy rate of 92.4%, it is easy to see why Arsenal wanted to add her to their technically gifted squad.

Kyra Cooney-Cross

Another young talent with plenty of potential, midfielder Cooney-Cross was signed from Swedish side Hammarby IF after impressing for Australia at the World Cup.

The 21-year-old was particularly influential in the Matildas 4-0 group-stage drubbing of Canada, which earned the respect of Arsenal legend Ian Wright.

He said: "Can I just say: Cooney-Cross? Player. I've already tried to tap her up."

Capable of dictating play as a deep-lying midfielder and equally comfortable in more attacking areas, Cooney-Cross should offer the Gunners plenty of versatility and yet more quality.