Something old and something new appears the theme at Arsenal Ladies this week, as boss Pedro Martinez Losa has secured new deals for young midfielder Carla Humphrey and ex-England international Kelly Smith.
Smith, the club's assistant coach and captain, is in her third spell with the club and helped the Gunners on their way to F.A Cup success last season with the first goal in a 2-0 win against Everton Ladies.
The 36-year old recently retired from international duty for England, amassing 117 appearances whilst scoring 46 times for her country.
Smith will now focus her attentions on Arsenal Ladies and having scored over 100 times for the club, will play a vital part in boss Martinez Losa’s assault on the 2015 WSL title.
Humphrey, by contrast, has signed her first professional contract with the club, as the young midfielder is promoted from the Gunners academy setup.
The youngster has impressed ever since her arrival in Arsenal Ladies centre of excellence at the age of eight, and during her time in the FA WSL Development League Southern Division last season, she was the top scorer with 22 goals in 20 games and was voted the Players’ Player of the Year.
Humphrey, who will play alongside fellow midfield academy graduates Leah Williamson and Jade Bailey, has represented England at under-19 level, whilst also assisting in one of four Gunners goals last weekend, as the North Londoners ran out 4-1 winners against Doncaster Rovers Belles in the early stages of their pre-season schedule.
Elsewhere in the Arsenal Ladies squad, another centre of excellence graduate Freda Ayisi, has signed for Birmingham City Ladies, having been part of the Gunners F.A Cup winning first team of last season.