Ilestedt swaps Paris Saint-Germain for Arsenal
Arsenal Credit: None
Arsenal have confirmed the acquisition of Swedish central defender Amanda Ilestedt. Ilestedt joins the English club following a two-year term with French side Paris Saint-Germain.
The 30-year-old defender started her senior career in 2009 at FC Rosengard, where she enjoyed a successful eight-year tenure, securing five Damallsvenskan league titles, a Swedish Cup, and three Swedish Super Club titles.
Interestingly, two of her league title victories were under the stewardship of current Arsenal head coach, Jonas Eidevall.
Ilestedt then moved to Germany, joining Turbine Potsdam in 2017 before moving to Bayern Munich in 2019.
Her two years at Bayern culminated in the 2020/21 Frauen Bundesliga title. She then moved to Paris Saint-Germain, adding a French Cup title to her repertoire.
On the international stage, Ilestedt has represented Sweden 64 times, featuring in two UEFA European Championships and two FIFA Women’s World Cups, winning bronze in France in 2019.
Additionally, she was part of the Sweden team that claimed the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics.
Ilestedt is slated to represent Sweden in the forthcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Upon joining Arsenal, Ilestedt expressed her excitement. Speaking to www.arsenal.com she stated, “I’m really excited and happy to be here. My goal is to win titles and this is a great club with great players and fantastic facilities, so I believe this is the right place for me to achieve that. There is a real sense of momentum around this club and the support has been wonderful – I can’t wait to walk out onto the pitch in the Arsenal kit.”
Head Coach Jonas Eidevall echoed these sentiments, saying, “I’m delighted that Amanda has joined us here at Arsenal. She brings extensive international experience and I believe she has a great mix of presence and technical ability, making her an ideal fit for our squad. I enjoyed working with Amanda during our time in Sweden and am looking forward to coaching her here at Arsenal too.”
