Mead: City’s style suits me really well | OneFootball

Beth Mead says the fresh challenge at City came at a perfect time in her career.

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The England international has signed a three-year contract with the Blues which will keep the versatile forward at the Joie Stadium until the summer of 2029.

It follows an illustrious nine-and-a-half years at Arsenal where she helped the Gunners to six major honours including the 2018/19 Barclays Women’s Super League and 2025 UEFA Women’s Champions League.

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That success has translated onto the international stage too where she was named Player of the Tournament in England’s triumphant Euro 2022 campaign before helping the Lionesses retain their crown in 2025.

At the end of the 2025/26 campaign, though, she made the difficult decision to bring the curtain down on her Arsenal career in search of a new challenge.

And after conversations with City Head Coach Andrée Jeglertz, Mead revealed how she felt the environment at the Blues was best suited to her attributes, ahead of the next chapter in her phenomenal career.

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“I feel like I’m in a stage of my career where I need a new challenge,” she explained.

“I think the way that City plays suits me really well and I feel like it can get something extra out of my game.

“Speaking to the manager, I think it was a place that I think I can really fit into, help and bring a different dynamic to the team, so it was a no-brainer for me.

“Obviously it was difficult [decision to leave Arsenal].

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“I’ve been at Arsenal a long time but I think the decision, after speaking to the manager and seeing the direction the Club’s going in and the playing style and playing against the team, it excited me watching them, it excited me playing against them even if we weren’t on the end of some good results sometimes.

“But I think the way the team play, the attitude, the resilience in the team and seeing late on in games to find a way to win, I very much play like that as a player, so I think it very much suited me.”

Mead left Arsenal having made over 250 appearances in all competitions since her switch to the capital from Sunderland in January 2017.

That, alongside her 81 caps for England, makes her one of the game’s most accomplished and experienced players.

During her career so far, she has operated across the forward line impeccably with the attacker the current WSL assist record holder.

For Mead, she believes she knows how to utilise her repertoire to bring the best out of herself and those around her.

She added: “I’ve played across the front three and four for a lot of years now. I’ve had to figure it out, I’ve had to experience good and bad games in those positions.

“I’d like to think I’m pretty good at understanding those roles now and how I can get the best out of myself and how I can get the best out of the team in different roles.”