Arsenal play Manchester City on Saturday afternoon, meaning Chloe Kelly faces the club she left earlier in the year – and head coach Renee Slegers says she will be looking forward to it as well as fired up to shine.
The Lioness first joined Arsenal on loan in January, making the move permanent over the summer. Her spell at City had ended unhappily as she was not getting minutes in the first team, and she had taken to social media to say it was having “a huge impact on not only [her] career but [her] mental wellbeing”.
City have a new manager in post since then, with Andree Jeglertz taking over after the end of the summer’s Euros after Gareth Taylor’s departure earlier in the year and Nick Cushing’s interim stint.
And Slegers said that she was confident Chloe Kelly would use that difficult experience positively on returning to the Joie Stadium.
“I think Chloe has gone through a lot of things in her football career,” she said in her pre-match press conference. “She’s now representing us and we’re very proud of that. I think she’ll find the right levels.
“I think that’s special with Chloe, that she has fire inside her. When she uses it in the right way, which she’s been doing, it creates so much for herself and for the team. That will be no different for her tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll be happy to go there.
“She’s, of course, very happy to represent Arsenal, but she’ll be happy to see some people that she’s been with for a long time as well.”
Chloe Kelly: Gritty, resilient, composed
Kelly spent five years at Manchester City, winning the Women’s FA Cup and Continental Cup with them. She helped Arsenal to the UEFA Women’s Champions League title last season as she returned to the club where she spent five years as a junior.
The 27-year-old has also been the decisive player in two Women’s Euros for England, scoring a late winner in extra time of the 2022 final against Germany, and the crucial penalty against Spain this year.
And Slegers added: “If you see how she’s reacted to certain things, I think that’s been on a very high level. We’ve played some high-pressure games with Arsenal last season. She’s shown such a good side of herself with grittiness, resilience, but also composure and I’m really impressed with that.”
Manchester City host Arsenal at the Joie Stadium on Saturday, 4th October, kicking off at 12 noon.
