After Liverpool accepted a record-breaking offer from Arsenal for one of the WSL’s best young players, the first £1 million transfer in women’s football is reportedly imminent.
Olivia Smith, who moved from Sporting CP for a club record of £210,000 last summer, has had an incredible debut season in the Women’s Super League.
With seven goals in 20 WSL games, the 20-year-old forward, who made history by becoming Canada’s youngest-ever player at 15 years and 94 days, ended the season as Liverpool’s top scorer.
And now that the Merseyside club has accepted a world-record bid from Arsenal for her services, Smith is poised to become the first female player to break the £1 million transfer barrier.
According to a report from The Guardian, the agreed upon fee is more than the $1.1 million Chelsea paid in January to acquire United States center-back Naomi Girma from NWSL team San Diego Wave.
According to the report, Liverpool rejected several clubs’ offers for Smith, but now that Arsenal has made a move, the Reds will get five times what they paid in July of last year.
Champions League winners for women Arsenal is gaining significant traction in the transfer market.
Taylor Hinds recently joined Renee Slegers’ team after her contract with Liverpool expired, and England international Chloe Kelly arrived earlier this month on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Olivia Smith’s path to possibly becoming women’s football’s first £1 million transfer
Smith, who initially gained attention when she made her senior debut for Canada in November 2019 at the age of just 15 years and 94 days, has had an incredible ascent. She received the Canadian Young Player of the Year award a month later.
Smith would later make her league debut for Sporting CP, a Portuguese team, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist.
After scoring 13 goals in 18 games during the 2023–24 season, the Toronto native quickly won Liga BPI’s Player of the Year and Young Player of the Season awards.
In the summer of 2024, Liverpool made the decision to make a move for Smith after she finished fourth in the Women’s Super League.
“We have such a young team, and they were fantastic [last] season, so I think it’s really exciting. Being a member of a team like this excites me,” she remarked.
“Pushing for that Champions League spot for next year, I definitely feel like I can contribute to the players, the team, and the staff itself—just as a person and as a player.”
Even with Smith’s impressive seven goals, which accounted for just under one-third of the team’s league goals during the season, Liverpool was only able to finish seventh in the WSL, 35 points behind the defending champion Chelsea.