Could record-breaking Arsenal move push CanWNT forward Olivia Smith to world-class level?
Olivia Smith appears to be on the cusp of a massive transfer this summer, as WSL side Arsenal look set to sign the 20-year-old Canadian for a world-record fee, per the Guardian's Tom Garry.
After being linked to French giants Lyonnes in April, along with some other WSL clubs, it looks like Arsenal has jumped the queue and is now set to bring in Smith in what would be a massive coup for the club.
Currently the defending UEFA Champions League winners, as they beat Barcelona in the final to deny them of a threepeat, Arsenal securing Smith’s signature would certainly signify their intent to try and defend that crown next season, as they also chase their first WSL title since 2018-2019.
Given that Liverpool appeared intent on holding onto Smith, who scored a team-leading nine goals across all competitions (including seven in WSL action), seeing her depart after just one season with the club is a bit surprising, but that gives an idea of the grandeur of this deal. Having joined Liverpool from Sporting CP on a club record fee last summer, one reportedly in the region of £200,000, she seemed set to at least spend another year with the club, especially after seeing Liverpool reject some of the bids that came in the wake of those April rumours.
That Ceri Holland pass 🤤pic.twitter.com/aSW2AfXmGl
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) April 19, 2025
Yet, this is a credit to how good she was in 2024-2025 that a move like this is now on the table just a few months later, as Arsenal are set to eclipse the record fee Chelsea paid to bring in American defender Naomi Girma earlier this year, as Smith would become the first women’s player to command a fee upwards of £1 million.
That’s huge news from a CanWNT perspective, as a move like this would only help the reputation of Canadians around the world, especially for those who are under 23 years of age. For a Canadian program that just witnessed their U20 team win their first Concacaf Championship crown since 2008, that could open the door for several Canadians to progress onto the professional ranks, be it domestically with the Northern Super League or elsewhere, such as in the NWSL or Europe.
That’s a credit to Smith, however, who was one of the rare Canadians to forego college for the pro ranks at a young age, as she decided to join Sporting CP after just one year in the NCAA with Penn State, and it’s safe to say that decision has paid off for her.
— Liverpool FC Women (@LiverpoolFCW) April 12, 2025
Perhaps, that could open the door for more Canadians to head directly to the professional ranks, something we’ve already started to see happen more regularly in recent years.
For example, 18-year-old Jeneva Hernandez-Gray leaping directly to Sporting CP out of the Vancouver Rise’s academy (formerly the Whitecaps) just this year is a direct example of someone already following in Smith’s footsteps, while the success of Kaylee Hunter at AFC Toronto, where she has six goals (which is the second-most in the NSL) as a 17-year-old pro (also out of the Rise academy) is also an impressive story - and they are but two of many young Canadians to watch going forward.
Therefore, it’s expected that Smith’s path to the top level opens the door for more Canadians to follow in years to come, which is exciting given the crop of youngsters currently developing in the country. 
Returning to Smith, however, there are three questions to look at when diving into a move like this: 1) What is she expected to bring to Arsenal? 2) Where does she fit in? And 3) What does this mean for her status with the CanWNT?
To begin with question #1, the answer there is quite simple when looking at what she might bring to Arsenal - high-level attacking talent, and the potential for a lot more growth.
In particular, that last point is quite key, and is the big reason behind the hefty fee - given her young age, there’s a lot more growth still to come, as she’s only going to be 21 in August, meaning she’s far from hitting her prime.
That’s exciting because when looking at the numbers in her debut season with Liverpool, a lot stands out.
There, across all competitions, she averaged 0.3 xG and 0.07 xA per 90 minutes, generating 2.27 shots and 5.74 dribbles (at a 65.1% rate), as she did an excellent job of getting the ball into dangerous offensive scenarios (all stats via WyScout), doing so on a team that wasn’t the greatest offensively.
Got this Olivia Smith goal on repeat 🔁#BarclaysWSL @LiverpoolFCW pic.twitter.com/kuYTkkPBGd
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 18, 2025
In particular, her dribbling was the big thing that stood out, which is shown in the fact that she was in the top 10% among WSL wingers and attacking midfielders in terms of successful take-ons in 2024-2025 (per FBRef). Along with her impressive shot volume, which saw her rack up shots at a good rate, both of those metrics stood out the most.
No doubt, she has some areas of growth still to come in her game, such as her ability to generate chances for her teammates and her ball retention, but given how much she’d progressed defensively in the last 12 months, for example, it’s expected that she continues to round out her offensive game going forward - as one would expect from a young attacker.
If it all clicks, Smith has the potential to be a lethal attacker, one who creates goals out of nothing for herself and her teammates, while being reliable defensively, which isn’t exactly a profile of a player that grows on trees.
FOR A DEEPER DIVE INTO SMITH’S 2024-2025 SEASON, CHECK OUT THIS MAY EDITION OF "THE BREAKDOWN" BY ALEXANDRE GANGUE-RUZIC.
Yet, that’s where Arsenal can come in and play a big role in her development. At Liverpool, Smith was often the focal point of the attack, which forced her to take on a bigger role than most would expect from a youngster.
That no one else scored more than five goals shows that, as Smith was truly the driving force behind her team’s attack, and she sometimes paid the price for that via the number of fouls she’d absorb.
By comparison, Arsenal had six players with 10 or more goals across all competitions in 2024-2025, including Alessia Russo (20 goals), Mariona Caldentay (19 goals), Caitlin Foord (13 goals), Frida Maanum (13 goals), Stina Blackstenius (10 goals) and Beth Mead (10 goals), as their attack was a lot more balanced.
Given what Smith was able to do on a Liverpool team that found the net just 22 times in 22 WSL games in 2024-2025, it’s fair to imagine that she can be a lot more dangerous on an Arsenal team that had 62 goals in 22 WSL games, along with 37 goals in 15 Champions League clashes. Just by being around players of that calibre, that can push her to another level, while giving her more players to generate chances for - that last point is key, in particular, because she had 10 assists in her lone season at Sporting CP, where she had more support relative to the level she was playing at, showing that her chance creation woes at Liverpool can also be down to the environment she was in.
Speaking of where she might fit in on this Arsenal team, however, that shifts nicely towards question #2.
When answering that question, she has options, as Arsenal used a 4-2-3-1 in 67% of their games, and a not-too-different 4-4-2 in 22% of their games, so it’s expected that manager Renée Slegers continues with something similar in 2025-2026.
In that set-up, Smith can realistically play four positions, as she’s played on both wings, up front and as a #10, but it’s important to note she featured most prominently as a right winger for Liverpool. For what it’s worth, Arsenal’s attacking system is quite fluid, hence the high number of prolific goalscorers - Caldentay had a free role as one of the midfielders in the double-pivot, Russo played up front and as a #10, Foord played out wide, Maanum slotted in as more of a #10, Blackstenius was more of a striker and Mead usually played out wide.
What that means for Smith is that no matter where she plays, she’ll have the opportunity to still be an impactful offensive contributor, like all the names above were, which is good to see.
On paper, with the departure of Lina Hurtig and the arrival of Chloe Kelly on a permanent basis after a loan last year, Smith could potentially slot in as more of a left-winger to replace Hurtig, given that Kelly and Mead often rotated at that right wing position, but given that Hurting barely featured in 2025-2026, Smith will hope for a bigger role than that. Perhaps, she might get a run at each winger position and as a #10 to find where she fits best, which might be her best avenue towards early minutes.
Yet, speaking of a bigger role, that ties into the last of the three big questions from above - what does this move mean for her CanWNT future?
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) December 3, 2024
Olivia Smith makes it THREE for the #CanWNT as she bullies her way through a number of South Korean defenders before burying her effort with a low drive 💪
🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/itRoi2F8LJ
At the moment, every Canadian transfer is looked at through a specific lens, and it’s a simple one - will they play at their new club? After manager Casey Stoney noted that she felt not enough of her players were playing regularly following a 3-0 defeat to the USWNT earlier this month, it’s natural that those who have moved since that claim - such as Ashley Lawrence to Lyonnes - have been analyzed through that lens.
When using that lens on this move, specifically, it’s a mixed bag. No doubt, given Smith’s age and the club that she’s joining, it’s an exciting move - she has the potential to become a world-class star at Arsenal, one who’s regarded among the best globally at her position.
On the flipside, if she doesn’t get minutes, she could also flame out and not hit her potential, as she wouldn’t be the first youngster who stalls when making a move to a big club.
From a Canadian perspective, that second point is scary, because while the intrigue of her blossoming into a world-class talent is exciting, as Canada hasn’t had many of those despite their success over the years, especially not in the attack (Christine Sinclair aside), they’d be happy if Smith just keeps progressing at a steady rate given her importance to the CanWNT, where she already has four goals in 18 caps. 
At the same time, that’s the beauty of a move like this - it’s one that top players make, as sometimes it takes the pressure of moving to a club like that for a world record fee to hit that next level as a player.
For what it’s worth, Smith seems well-equipped to deal with that pressure - she thrived at an established outfit like Liverpool despite being a club-record transfer there, and it’s important to remember that she’s blossomed into a key Canadian regular despite making her international debut at 15, which is never easy for a young player to do.
GOAL 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) May 31, 2025
Olivia Smith gets the @CANWNT’s fourth goal and it’s a party in Winnipeg 🔥#CanWNT | 🔴 Watch LIVE on OneSoccer pic.twitter.com/FvQDMohJtd
Because of that, while there might be some short-term pain as she adjusts to an environment with so many top players, the trade-off seems enormous, and that’s exciting.
Of course, one could also wonder if there was a reality where Smith spends another year at Liverpool before making a move like this, which is a valid sentiment, but sometimes, things can move fast in this sport, and it can be important to capitalize on a window like this.
For what it’s worth, there’s a path towards success with Smith at Arsenal, as Caldentay (29 y/o), Mead (30 y/o), Kelly (27 y/o), Foord (30 y/o), Russo (26 y/o) and Blackstenius (29 y/o) are all in the middle or end of their primes, which could open up the door for Smith to step up and become the face of Arsenal’s attack sometime over the next few years.
Plus, the good news from a Canadian perspective? With the next World Cup not until 2027, there isn’t a rush for Smith to be an immediate success at her new club. Given her potential, and how important she is to this Canadian team, it feels safe to say that she’ll be a key part of this group at that World Cup, as well as at the Concacaf Championship in 2026, and that’ll make stomaching a slower integration period worth it if it means she does show signs of hitting something close to that world-class level with her new club in the 2026-2027 campaign, for example.
Cheeky finish from Smith!@LiverpoolFCW pic.twitter.com/NE2j5EE2Ej
— Barclays Women's Super League (@BarclaysWSL) November 24, 2024
Now, the big key is to make sure that the integration period is as smooth as possible, but when seeing how quickly Smith adapted during her moves to Sporting CP and Liverpool, spending just one year at each club, it’s worth noting that it’s not anything she’s not used to, either.
Perhaps that can give her a leg up when making a move like this, especially to a team in a league she’s already familiar with, helping her push closer to her full potential earlier on in the process.
Certainly, Canadians will be hoping she hits the ground running, much like she did at her last two stops, continuing her meteoric rise as a player.
