Willie Kirk has further strengthened his Bristol City squad ahead of the 2017-18 WSL 1 season with the signing of Carla Humphrey from Arsenal.

Good experience

Still just 20, Humphrey is already well known to WSL 1 fans around the country, a product of Arsenal’s youth set-up the Cambridge native opted to spend the 2016 season on loan at promoted side, Doncaster Belles. An injury early in the year saw her impact initially limited for the Belles before she returned to fitness and started making her pedigree known, a lone goal during her time with the league strugglers just a glimpse of her quality.

Well used to the pace of WSL 1 having made over 20 appearances for Arsenal, Humphrey has struggled to break into the side that’s jam-packed with talent, her limited playing time not enough to diminish the soft-spot the Arsenal faithful have for her.

The right club for her

Impressed with the facilities in Bristol, Humphrey was well taken with Kirk’s “vision” for his team, noting that the Vixens are back in WSL 1 “to stay” as well as pushing on as a team. Her own ambitions aligned with the club’s to develop and grow, the attacker believes Bristol is the “best place” for her to get regular time on the pitch and reach her full potential.

With a team that already looks like it belongs in the top flight, Kirk is delighted to have swooped Humphrey, glad of her versatility noting that she “can play anywhere across the front” but with so much “potential to unlock” the Bristol boss is hoping her can bring the very best out of her. Fully believing that with the attributes she has as well as everything that’s in her locker, waiting to be developed, Humphrey can make the step up and play for England.

With a nod to the strength of players the Arsenal youth teams develop, Kirk noted that there’s a “certain guarantee” about the type of player a manager can sign for Arsenal, citing Humphrey’s keen “education and knowledge of the game,” the attacker’s positive attitude another boost to help her progression.

VAVEL Logo
About the author
Sophie Lawson
Neutral football fan travelling around Europe, covering matches and bothering footballers for interviews