Stoney joins Arsenal, Keryakoplis at Birmingham
Friday, January 3, 2014
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England captain Casey Stoney has returned to Arsenal LFC, where Alex Scott has signed a new contract, while Hannah Keryakoplis has joined Birmingham City LFC.
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UEFA Women's Champions League quarter-finalists Arsenal LFC have signed England captain Casey Stoney on a two-year deal subject to a medical, while Alex Scott has agreed a "long-term contract" and opponents Birmingham City LFC have taken on Wales forward Hannah Keryakoplis.
Centre-back Stoney, 31, began her career at Arsenal and played for them in the inaugural UEFA Women's Cup season of 2001/02 before moving on to Charlton Athletic LFC, Chelsea LFC and Lincoln LFC, from where she has returned to the Gunners.
Capped 116 times and also the skipper of Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic tournament, Stoney has followed England goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain to the north London outfit. However, defender Stephanie Houghton, winger Gemma Davison, midfielder Kim Little and forward Ellen White have all left the club.
Stoney told arsenal.com: "It's a great feeling to be coming back to Arsenal Ladies. They're a team with a fantastic tradition, and it's where I started out so it's a special move for me. I'm looking forward to getting stuck in to preparations for the 2014 campaign."
England right-back Scott, meanwhile, has ended speculation over her future. "I'm very pleased to have agreed a new contact with Arsenal," said the 29-year-old, who returned to Arsenal along with Kelly Smith in early 2012 from Boston Breakers.
"I first joined the club when I was a teenager, so it feels like home to me. We've lost some players this pre-season, but we've signed some very capable ones too, so we're feeling good about the new campaign and can't wait for it to get under way."
Birmingham, who take on Arsenal in the UEFA Women's Champions League last eight in March, when the new domestic season also begins, have responded with the addition of 19-year-old striker Keryakoplis from Stoke City LFC. Manager David Parker said: "Hannah is a player I have admired for some time now. When watching her play for Liverpool and Wales in the 2012 season she stood out for me as a player to watch in the coming years."
