FEARLESS and hungry – that’s how Kelly Smith describes the up-and-coming Gunners aces Michelle Agyemang, Freya Godfrey and Vivianne Lia.
The teenage trio are among the homegrown talents that the Arsenal forward hope will make life difficult for the stars of the WSL team.
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The young English strikers, aged 18, 19 and 17, are considered the team’s most promising talents, along with their midfield colleagues Maddie Earl and Laila Harbert, both 17, from their club and national team.
Smith, who coaches Arsenal’s strikers, including Lioness star Alessia Russo, said: “What I like about them is that they are not only hungry but also fearless.”
“They came into the first team environment and just did it.
“You can see the progress they have made, the confidence they are gaining.
“That’s a credit to Arsenal, the academy staff and the structure we have in place to develop and bring these players through.”
19-year-old goalkeeper Naomi Williams and English U19 defender Katie Reid are also among the Arsenal players who are predicted to have a bright future.
Williams, who like her teammates comes from the club’s Hale End Academy, has been with the Gunners since she was 13.
In June last year, the goalkeeper signed her first professional contract with the club along with Agyemang and Godfrey.
And in May, she came on as a second-half substitute as Arsenal beat an A League All-Stars team 1-0 in a friendly in Australia.
Together with her young teammates at the Gunners, she played in Jonas Eidevall’s team’s 2-1 friendly win against the Washington Spirit three days ago.
The game was the first game of the North Londoners’ first pre-season tour of the USA.
Smith, who retired in 2017 and won 117 caps for England, added: “It just shows how big (women’s) football is getting.”
“Playing in front of our international fan base in America is hugely important to build fan loyalty and support for the women’s team there.”
Aside from their club duties, Agyemang, Godfrey, Earl and Lia were part of the England U19 team that beat Lithuania 10-0 at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship last month.
Agyemang scored a hat-trick and her team won five matches in the competition before suffering a 3-1 defeat to competition winners Spain in the semi-finals.
Michelle is physical and aggressive and has a fantastic shot.
Kelly Smith
Smith, who retired in 2017 after 23 years as a professional player, knows exactly what it takes to make a big impression as a young Arsenal and England player.
In 1997, in her first season at the club, she scored two goals in the opening 3-0 win against Liverpool.
The result saw the team, then coached by Vic Akers, crowned champions of the Women’s Premier League.
And Smith, who won 20 trophies during her three stints at Arsenal, hopes Agyemang and her friends can continue to make an impression.
She said: “Hopefully these players can help us even more from the bench, gain more experience and integrate into the team in the future.
“It’s great for the club that these players are pushing our regular players.
“I remember Jordan Nobbs and Lucy Bronze coming through during my time playing for the England team.
“As an experienced player, I realized that I had to improve my performance in daily training because the young players are hungry and want to be in the first team.”
Last season, Agyemang was out of action for several weeks while on loan at Watford after sustaining a knee injury in a match against England in March.
Since then, she has been fighting her way back to fitness.
Together with her colleagues, the striker will play more minutes during the season on August 25th.th Friendly match against Chelsea at the Audi Stadium in Washington.
Smith added: “The fans are always happy when a homegrown player does really well.”
“And hopefully Michelle can have a good training season.
“What I like about her strengths is that she is really good at holding.
“She is physically strong, aggressive and has a fantastic shot.”
The Gunners’ pre-season game with the Blues comes ten days before their opening game against Rangers at Meadow Park, where they begin their battle for a place in the Champions League group stages.
The match will see a tactical duel with Sonia Bompastor for the first time since Eidevall took over as Chelsea head coach last month.
Next month, the Gunners begin their bid to win their first WSL title since 2019 by hosting Man City at the Emirates.
After winning five league titles and one Champions League tournament with Arsenal, Smith is keen to lead his team to another WSL title.
The former Lioness, who scored 125 goals in 144 appearances for Arsenal, added: “The players are hungry for this because we finished the season so well last year (in third place).
“The league is always our bread and butter. It’s nice to win a trophy (like we did with the Conti Cup), but this year we really want to get into the league.”
Since Arsenal’s last title win five years ago, Chelsea have been the strongest force in the top flight, winning six of the last seven WSL titles.
However, Smith hopes that the summer signings can give their club an additional advantage.
New signings include former Barcelona striker Mariona Caldentey and Rosa Kafaji, who joined from BK Hacken last week.
Smith said: “Our team is very, very strong. I think we have one of the best teams in the league.”
“It’s about staying focused and beating Chelsea and Man City when we play against them.
“That will be crucial because we have had some slip-ups against them in the past.”
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Arsenal’s season opener on September 22 could see former Gunners star Vivianne Miedema make her first WSL appearance for Man City after joining the club in July.
The 12:30pm match is one of eight top matches the WSL team will play at the Emirates this season.
Smith added: “All eyes will be on this game as it could potentially be Viv’s first (WSL) game in a Man City shirt.
“I hope she doesn’t score a goal when she plays!”
Off the pitch, Smith collaborated with vitamin brand Bioglan to talk about how she juggles her busy life as a mother of two with her work as a football coach and commentator.
The former Lioness spoke to English cricketer Ollie Pope and five-time Paralympic swimming champion Ellie Simmonds about how they find balance in their daily lives.
The trio came together for a pottery session as part of the “In Bioglan Balance” campaign.
Smith said: “It was good to talk to Ollie and Ellie about how they have stayed mentally prepared and healthy for their careers.
“I have a busy schedule. I have to prioritize my sleep, good food and of course playing football with my whole family.
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“It’s about being fit, healthy, balanced and having the right mindset.
“I want to give everything to my coaching career and my family.”
“If you really pay attention to your diet and the supplements you take, you will stay on track and focused.”
