It is undeniable that Arsenal’s campaign has been marred by injuries; however, the January introduction of Victoria Pelova has helped to keep a struggling Arsenal team afloat.
The young winger joined the side amidst a host of injuries plaguing the North London side including both Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema suffering the dreaded ACL rupture months earlier.
But prior to this, Pelova drew notice when Arsenal faced her former club Ajax in the Champions League qualifiers where the 23-year-old dazzled the Gunners, sparking transfer rumours not long after.
Calling on her Dutch teammate and forementioned Arsenal star Miedema, Pelova chose to accept a move to North London, joining the side in January 2023, announcing her venture to the side the day after longstanding Gunner Jordan Nobbs departed for Aston Villa.
Speaking after Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-final, Eidevall remarked on Pelova’s contributions and what drew the eye of the Gunners boss to the impressive right winger.
“That is one of the things that became evident for me when we played Ajax in the Champions League (qualifier) and we saw her playing live was how physical she was,” Eidevall said ahead of their Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich. “I liked that combination from her as a player.
“She has adapted very well coming into the team. She is versatile and can play a lot of different positions. She is not only neat on the ball to create but her off the ball movement and defensive contribution.”
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Since joining Arsenal, Pelova has made 18 appearances, scoring two goals and earning two assists and making a major impact away from the stats sheet as well.
Featuring in the Champions League for Arsenal, Pelova also made pivotal contributions to their second leg quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich after a stellar performance the days before earned her a place in the XI. She retained a starting spot in both semi-final games against Wolfsburg, where she had a standout performance despite a last-minute loss.
In the past week, the Dutch international shone during two of Arsenal’s WSL clashes with Leicester City and Brighton, earning a Player of the Match performance in both that truly spoke to her invaluable contributions to the depleted Arsenal side.
The Leicester City game echoed the right winger’s effortless blend of physicality and technique that saw her retain the ball in tight…
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