Alessia Russo interview: 'We're building something really special at Arsenal... now it's about pushing over the line'
Alessia Russo says Arsenal are 'building something really special' ahead of the 2026/27 season - and are aiming to compete for trophies on multiple fronts.
The Gunners finished in second place in the Women's Super League last season, four points behind eventual champions Manchester City.
They also reached the semi-finals of the Women's Champions League before losing to Lyon on aggregate.
Arsenal ultimately played in five competitions over the course of the season, including the inaugural FIFA Women's Champions Cup - which they won.
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Russo, who signed a new contract in September, went on to have her best season in front of goal, netting 24 times in 40 matches in all competitions.
Nine of those goals came in the UWCL, including strikes against Lyon, Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Russo has played continuously in the WSL since 2020, having briefly spent time in the league before leaving for college in the US in 2017.
She was named as the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year in 2025, and came third in the Ballon d’Or Feminin rankings behind her Arsenal team-mate Mariona Caldentey and Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati later that year.
Speaking to SPORTbible in her role as an ambassador for Starling Bank's Kick On campaign, which pledges to subsidise the cost for local businesses of sponsoring women's grassroots football teams, Russo says her game has evolved continuously over that time - and she feels she's now playing better than ever.
“I think you learn a lot as you get older,” Russo tells SPORTbible. “I’m 27 now, so I think that you understand things a lot more than you do when you’re maybe 23, 24. You learn how to get the best out of the people around you, and vice versa.
“I think that I’m trying to learn so much in the 9, and even if I play deeper in the 10. There’s so much to learn and areas for growth.
“And I think that I’m really challenged here at Arsenal - not only from the staff, but from the players around me as well. You’ve constantly got to be at your best because there’s so many great players in the team that can play over you, and with you.
“I just love being in an environment where I feel stretched. And I think over the last few years at Arsenal, that’s definitely what I’ve been getting.”
Russo has high praise for Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers, who initially replaced Jonas Eidevall on an interim basis in October 2024.
The former Netherlands midfielder had spent a year at Arsenal as a player between the ages of 17 and 18, making one appearance during a London County Cup fixture.
As a head coach, she made such an impression - the Gunners won 11 of her first 12 matches in charge - that she was given the permanent job three months later.
Having been an assistant coach under Eidevall, Slegers then took Arsenal to the next level by leading them to the Women's Champions League title in 2025.
That was followed by Women's Champions Cup success in February - by which point Slegers had signed a new three-and-a-half year contract.
“She’s amazing. She pushes the standard a lot, which is something as a player I really like," Russo says of the Dutch coach.
“She is a winner, and she does everything to win. The preparation that her and her staff put into games is massive. It makes you inspired to play and want to push for things, for them and for the club. She's brilliant.
“I think that we’re building something really special. Over the last couple of years, we’ve not won what we want to win, but we’ve grown so much. And I can see areas where we’re getting better and things are happening. So I hope that we go into this season using that as fuel.
“But she’s definitely the driver of all that. I love playing under her.”
While the Gunners had a slow start to last season, winning four of their opening nine WSL games, they won six of their seven matches after Christmas to roar back into title contention.
They went into the final block of fixtures with a realistic chance of overhauling Manchester City to win the title, but a 1-1 draw at Brighton - which was their first of four WSL fixtures over a 10-day period - meant that they could no longer catch them with two games left.
In the Champions League, the Gunners reached the semi-finals, where they faced French giants Lyon over.
They came from behind in the first leg at the Emirates, with Olivia Smith’s 83rd-minute strike securing a 2-1 win.
In the return leg in France, Lyon scored two first-half goals before Russo equalised the aggregate score from close range.
But Jule Brand’s 86th-minute goal secured a 4-3 aggregate victory for Lyon, who ultimately went on to lose 4-0 to Barcelona in the final.
“I think when we look back at the season, we’ve had so many highs and lows. I think we’ve grown a lot as a team over the last couple of years," Russo says.
“But now it’s about pushing things over the line and competing really for trophies.
“Obviously, we did that in the Champions League in the season before. But we want to do that consistently in the league, in the cups. I think we’ve been disappointed with our FA Cup runs and missing out on the league. So, yeah, I think when you come to Arsenal, the expectation is to win trophies, and that’s exactly what we want to do this season.”
On the transfer front, Arsenal have strengthened their squad significantly, with a host of new arrivals.
Forward Selina Cerci has joined from Hoffenheim, alongside midfielder Geraldine Reuteler from Frankfurt, Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle, RB Leipzig winger Lisa Baum and, most recently, goalkeepers Isabella Damm and Misa Rodriguez from Brondby and Real Madrid respectively.
Russo will reunite with Batlle, with the pair having played together at Manchester United until they departed in the same summer of 2023. England midfielder Georgia Stanway was the first player through the door, having decided to leave Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
Asked specifically about Stanway's arrival, Russo said she can’t wait to play alongside somebody she has known since childhood.
“Georgia’s someone that I’ve known for about 15 years now, which is crazy. It makes me feel old!" she laughs.
“She was probably one of my first ever friends on England camp. We just got on really well. We’ve been on a crazy journey and I can’t wait to play with her at Arsenal.
“She’s got so much talent, coming into her prime as well. She’s going to add so much to our team.”
Alessia Russo is a Starling Bank ambassador calling on local businesses to sign up to Kick On to sponsor a grassroots women's football team - helping underfunded teams get the necessary financial support to secure the pipeline of future Lionesses.
To secure the pipeline of future Lionesses, Starling Bank is set to matchmake 2,000 business sponsors with their local grassroots teams and subsidise the cost of kit sponsorship. Starling’s Kick On Initiative is backed by Russo and Jill Scott, whose coffee shop BOXX2BOXX will sponsor a local team in Manchester.
Topics: Arsenal, Womens Super League, Womens Football, Spotlight
Ryan Smart