After making a world-record transfer to Arsenal, Olivia Smith became the first player in women’s football to earn £1 million. Having only joined Liverpool last summer, the 20-year-old Canadian is leaving the Women’s Super League opponents. She was crowned the club’s Player of the Season after having a fantastic debut season with Liverpool, scoring seven goals in 19 games.
With her four-year contract, Smith surpasses the previous global record set by Chelsea in January when they paid £833,000 for US center-back Naomi Girma. Liverpool reportedly rejected multiple bids before accepting the seven-figure offer. After paying £200,000 to buy Smith from Sporting Lisbon last year, they had made £800,000 in profit.
The reason behind this historic transfer
In an attempt to win the biggest trophies in the game, Olivia Smith has completed her transfer to Arsenal after Liverpool was unable to reject the £1 million offer. Arsenal won the Champions League and placed second in the WSL the previous season. Liverpool finished sixth in 2024–25 and has stayed in the middle of the WSL since their 2022 comeback to the top division. Olivia remarked, “Being a member of Arsenal is a privilege and an honor. Playing for the biggest titles in England and Europe is my dream, and I can’t wait to get started and help Arsenal achieve that. I’m so glad that’s over with now because the atmosphere the fans create at Emirates Stadium is amazing.”
The latest addition to the Arsenal family ❤️
Olivia Smith is a Gunner ✍️ pic.twitter.com/9tDKSMcfxf
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) July 17, 2025
“Olivia is an exciting young player and we believe she can make a big contribution here at Arsenal,” said head coach Renée Slegers. “Her mindset and spirit have impressed us, as has the fact that she excelled in two European leagues at such a young age. We’re excited to collaborate with her as she develops at the club because I know she has our level of desire.”
She had the biggest anticipated goals (xG) overperformance of any player in the Reds’ roster, surpassing her team-high 4.4 xG by 2.6. Smith, who made her debut for Canada at the age of 15 years and 94 days, is also the youngest player to ever make the national team. She has now played for her nation eighteen times.
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