Laura Coombs will retire at the end of the season after a 19 year long career which saw her play for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City among others and earn a total of seven caps for England.
From Arsenal academy to Chelsea
Coombs came through the Arsenal academy before making her debut for the senior Arsenal team at just 16 years old. She made 10 appearances for the Gooners in total over her 4 year stint which also saw her go out on loan twice first to Nottingham Forest and then to Los Angeles Strikers where she made 8 appearances for each side.
In 2011 she then signed for London rivals Chelsea, where she spent the next six years making a total of 52 appearances for the blues. During her time at Chelsea, she also spent time out on loan during the 2012 and 2013 season with Barnet, and Los Angeles Strikers, before breaking back in the first team. In 2016, she went back out on loan to fellow WSL side Liverpool, where she then signed for ready for the 2017 season.
Manchester City years
After 3 years, she left Merseyside having appeared 45 times for the Reds, and headed to Manchester signing for Manchester City, where she has spent the remainder of her career where she has appeared 91 times and scored 15 goals for the side.
England career and 2023 World Cup final
On the international stage, she gained her first call-up and cap in 2015 having featured in the youth set-up in England. She then did not receive another call-up until 2020 where she did not play. In 2023 she earned her first cap since 2015 having been named in the 2023 Arnold Clark Cup squad. With continuous good performances at Manchester City, she was then named in the England squad for the 2023 FIFA World Cup, where England finished as runners-up to Spain.
