Anna Patten has returned to Arsenal Women after the defender spent four years playing and studying in America.
Patten first joined the Gunners as a youngster and progressed to the first team in 2016, before she went out to the University of South Carolina for two years, then moving to Florida State University for a similar spell.
“It’s such an amazing feeling,” the 21-year-old told www.arsenal.com. “Obviously I’ve been at the club since I was 12, so to be back and be able to fully sign for the team really is like a dream come true.”
“I’ll always look for signings from within and if we can promote players, that’s what our academy is there for,” added head coach Joe Montemurro. “But also, to be able to be creative with the signings and so on – we think that she suits the Arsenal mentality, the style of play we want and the beauty of it is that we can work to improve her. It’s not as if she’s a ready-made player, there’s still room for improvement so it’s exciting going forward for all of us.”
