After loan spells at Watford and then more recently at Southampton, Arsenal’s Laila Harbert will spend the rest of the year at Portland Thorns – and she’s thrilled to be across the pond and facing a big new challenge.
The midfielder has now been in Oregon for a little under two weeks, getting used to the climate and settling in – although, understandably, the 18-year-old’s mum is still with her while she finds her feet.
“It’s a long way from home,” she told SheKicks.net. “I had some goodbyes to say, and had to get my bags packed. I’ve been here for about ten days now, and I’m settling in well – I’m over the jet lag! It’s been an adjustment, but it’s been really nice, the girls are really welcoming, and I’m starting to feel comfortable now.
“My parents came out with me to start with – my mum is still here – so it’s been nice to have a familiar face, because settling in can be quite daunting, I’m 18, coming across the world. It’s something I thought would be good for my development, not just as a player, but as a person as well.
“It will be a challenge, but I’m excited for it.”
Harbert: “I get to learn off them”
An England youth international, Harbert wore the captain’s armband as the Young Lionesses reached the final of the Women’s Under-17 European Championships last year, and has now progressed to the Under-19 squad, where she featured in the summer’s Women’s Under-19 European Championships.
The prospect of playing in the NWSL offers Harbert plenty of new opportunities – not just minutes on the pitch, but being in proximity to players whose games she’d like to emulate. She describes new team-mates Sam Coffey, Jessie Fleming and Hina Sugita as “some of the best midfielders in the world”, adding: “It’s exciting that I get to learn off them and take parts from their game and add to mine.”
There’s also a different style and pace of play Stateside, and Harbert concludes: “Those sides of the game will really help me improve when I take it back to England and hopefully start competing at Arsenal.”
“Her first thought is ‘forward'”
And the Thorns staff are looking forward to working with her.
“From what I’ve seen of her, at Southampton and Watford, she’s a good, young, technical footballer,” coach Rob Gale told SheKicks.net. “She’s not the quintessential [number] six in terms of breaking up the game, which she needs to develop and we’ll develop with her – I know that was a pull for her to come to North America, the physicality of our league, the transitional nature, that’ll be key.”
He added: “What I really liked about her game is her ability, left foot, right foot, to play between the lines. Her first thought is ‘forward’ – transitional moments, the quality of our build, the way we like to play, our ability to play through central areas, she’s got those skill sets.”
Portland Thorns’ next match is on Friday, August 29th, against Utah Royals, although Harbert will not be eligible for selection until all the necessary paperwork is completed.
But that could be a blessing in disguise, thinks Gale.
“What this bedding-in time has given us is to work individually with her at the moment, until we can fully integrate her into team training. It’s all individual work, trying to give her as much information, as much of our game model, key performance indicators – it’s really pre-season for Laila to get her, once the paperwork’s through, ready to go and integrated into the team set-up.”
