Bay FC Sign Nighswonger After Difficult Arsenal Spell Ends | OneFootball

Jenna Nighswonger is leaving Arsenal and returning to the NWSL with Bay FC, according to ESPN, in a deal reported to be worth around $200,000. She found limited game time during her time in England, and her departure signals that the WSL stint did not deliver what either side had hoped for.

A short and difficult chapter at Arsenal comes to a close

Arsenal signed Nighswonger from Gotham FC in January 2025 for around $100,000, with the 24-year-old arriving as part of a broader wave of NWSL-to-WSL movement that also brought Naomi Girma to Chelsea. She had been one of the most exciting young defenders in American football, winning the 2023 NWSL Rookie of the Year award and an NWSL Championship with Gotham in the same season, before earning a place in the USWNT squad that won Olympic gold in Paris in 2024.

According to Just Women’s Sports, Nighswonger described the opportunity as something she had always wanted, playing in England, and spoke of taking her chance even while content at her previous club. But the reality proved harder to navigate. She made just five league appearances for Arsenal before heading out on loan to Aston Villa, where she featured in eight league matches. Villa held an option to buy her permanently at the end of the loan but chose not to exercise it.

By this summer, the direction of travel was already clear. Nighswonger did not join Arsenal for pre-season, training in the US instead while the Bay FC move was finalised, and her squad number had already been reassigned to new signing Ona Batlle.

Bay FC bring her back to familiar territory

Bay FC have agreed to sign Nighswonger on a permanent basis for around $200,000, according to ESPN. That decision reflects how the NWSL market values USWNT-capped defenders with her profile, even when a European adventure has not gone entirely to plan.

Nighswonger played as a forward during her college career at Florida State, where she won a national championship in 2021 and was a Hermann Trophy finalist in 2022, before being used as a full-back from her rookie season at Gotham onward and establishing herself in that role for both club and country.

She joins a Bay FC side currently sitting 14th of 16 in the NWSL under first-year head coach Emma Coates, who has also brought in Claire Hutton, Kennedy Fuller, and Argentine forward Agostina Holzheier this year as the club looks to turn its season around.

What Nighswonger’s departure means for Arsenal

Nighswonger’s exit is a notable departure from Arsenal Women, coming after the club signed her from Gotham FC in the January 2025 window. Her time in England was marked by limited appearances, and a return to the NWSL gives her the platform to rebuild her club-level form.

Source: ESPN