by Ben Gilby (17/8/26)
Above: Ona Batlle signs on for Arsenal earlier this summer. Photo: Sky Sports.
Ona Batlle is back in the WSL. The Spanish World Cup and Champions League winning defender has unfinished business here. She wants a league title.
Three years after leaving Manchester United to return home to Spain where she won 11 trophies with the Catalan giants, Batlle is chomping at the bit to be part of the Gunners’ title challenge – and to be part of a league which is significantly ahead of Spain in terms of competitiveness.
“I’m going to be more challenged…Arsenal play the way I like to play. I am very excited to be back in the WSL as well. I think it’s the most competitive league and it’s a new challenge for me that I was looking for.
“It was a big step coming back because the league has grown. I really enjoyed my time at United, but now I’m at a good time and age to come back…It was the perfect time to join Arsenal – to try and win everything, and then have the World Cup at the end of the year.
“Loads of big players are in this league, and I think all the teams have stepped up, so there are loads of good clubs that are trying to invest and get good teams to compete well and try to win this league.”
Batlle was one of many big name players to depart Barcelona this summer, as the club’s reported financial issues linked to stadium expansion at Camp Nou and trying to remain within La Liga‘s tight financial fair play rules have allegedly had a major impact on the women’s team.
The move back to the WSL will see the 27-year-old join up with two very familiar faces – Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo.
“Mariona has done really good settling down at the club and in the league…Playing with her – I’m very excited. When I played with her at Barcelona, we had a good connection – she makes it easy for all the players around her.
“I do think Alessia has improved loads. I think she was already one of the best, but now, playing in these big competitions, and for her country, she is one of the best nines in the world.”
With Batlle able to play on both the right and left side of defence, she fulfils another key requirement of the Renée Slegers transfer policy – being a top quality player with the ability to be versatile – this giving the team further strength in depth.
Yet, Arsenal went into last season with a team, that on paper, looked more than capable of taking out the title for the first time since 2018/19, but came up short, largely due to drawing far too many games between October and mid-December.
The Spanish star knows what her team have to do this time round – it’s all about being ruthless and grinding out results.
“To be able to win the league – (you have) to be a constant team. Every weekend you have to perform. If you don’t have a good week or a good day, you have to get the win – any win. To have such a good squad, and big squad, it will help us to have a good season.”
Batlle is also aware that the team’s title push won’t be wanting for a lack of support. In common with all of the club’s summer signings, she highlighted the huge draw that the club’s support levels offer.
“One of the most things I’m looking forward to – having the crowd there. There will be plenty of games there, full of crowd. I’m really looking forward to feeling the fans…It’s one of the beauties of this club, how they are connected to the fans, how they have the history of the club, having all these fans. It’s a big club, they do things well, and I want to be a part of that.”
(c) Impetus 2026
This is the third part of Ben Gilby‘s series of articles from Arsenal’s media day. Missed the others?
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