Above: Everton’s Kathrine Kuhl. Photos: Harvey Todd
By Emily Evans (20/02/24).
Currently on loan to Everton, twenty-year-old Kathrine Kuhl has firmly established herself as someone with a bright future in the women’s game. The midfielder is skilled at creating pockets of space, putting in clinical tackles when necessary, having vision on the field of where to pass to and being an all-around versatile player – a manager’s dream!
Although only moving to the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) in the 2023 January transfer window, Kathrine has made herself an integral member of the teams she has played for. From winning the Conti Cup with Arsenal and receiving a call up for the 2023 Women’s World Cup with Denmark, she has shown much promise and I believe that she could become one of the best midfielders in the WSL.
Kathrine joined the Gunners in January 2023, signing from Nordsjælland where she made 71 appearances and scored 7 goals. And also lifted the 2019/20 Danish Cup.
Her Arsenal debut came on 26th January, when she came on as a 67th minute substitute in their Continental Cup Quarter Final game against Aston Villa. This game saw the Gunners winning 3-0 and therefore progressing into the semi-final.
She went on to make thirteen appearances over the season, lifting the Continental Cup after a 3-1 victory over Chelsea.
Last month she joined Everton on loan for the rest of the 23/24 season. Already, she has made four appearances and scored her first goal, showing the endless talent that she has on the pitch.
Kuhl won Adobe Women’s FA Cup Baller of the Round. Kuhl starred in Everton’s comprehensive 7-1 victory over Nottingham Forest. Her goal was arguably the pick of the bunch, disposing a Forest defender just inside their own half. She proceeded to race towards goal and produced a finish with the outside of her boot which her fellow Dane Pernille Harder would be proud of.
Having nothing but praise for her Arsenal teammates, the midfielder stated in a recent interview with Shesaballer, “The best player I’ve played with is Kim Little or Leah Williamson. Kim is a big role model for me as a midfielder and Leah sees the game at a different level.”
During the same interview, she made the comment, “I’m really happy I got the opportunity to come on loan. I want to keep developing on being better in the final third, scoring goals and winning games.” She’s clearly enjoying her time on loan, reassuring the fans that the loan was the right choice for not only her development but also her confidence.
Everton, although currently standing ninth in the WSL table, is a great club for Kuhl to go on loan to, her talent already shining through in the short amount of time she has been there.
Being so young, it is key that she gets consistent game time, which we can already see is happening here, unlike at Arsenal where she wasn’t played too often.
The result of this is that she can get that experience on and off the pitch, playing with some amazing players, while also learning the ins and outs of being a full time game starter.
Kuhl won her first senior cap in 2021 and at the time of writing has over 35 appearances and a single goal for Denmark. Playing among the likes of Pernille Harder, Signe Brunn, Sanne Troelsgaard and Sofie Svava, just to name a few, will have been beneficial to her development on and off the pitch, with the aforementioned players being great role models.
After progressing through the youth ranks, her debut was against Wales, where the Danish team drew 1-1, Kuhl made her international debut in the 81st minute. Her talent led her to be in the squad for more friendlies, where she made the starting line up in Denmark’s 3-2 win against Austria.
She was a part of the Denmark team that played at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, being the youngest player in the squad. Although only playing a few matches with the team after their exit in a tough 2-0 loss against the hosts Australia, Kuhl has shown the world just what the future holds for her, and how much she has to give.
The WSL is not an easy league to compete in but she has shown just what she can bring to a club. Despite having a lot to learn, she has proved she deserves a spot in the starting line-up and proved herself as an emerging talent for club and country.
Kathrine is really making the most of her time with Everton, maybe in order to come back to Arsenal at the start of next season and fight for her place in the starting line-up. No one knows what next season will bring for the Danish girl, but this current loan is good for her as it is allowing her to flourish and gain the much needed experience she needs in order to be one of the best. I see a benefit to another full season with the Toffees.
Denmark take on Austria on Wednesday 28th February at 3:30pm (GMT) in a friendly. Kathrine, being in the starting lineup for Denmark’s previous games, should be in the starting 11 for this game, where you can see her amongst some of Denmark’s best.
If you want to see Kuhl in action with the Toffees, then tune into FA Player on the 2nd March to watch them face Manchester City in the WSL – here you will see her versatility and talent on the pitch!
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