
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Super League - Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur - Manchester City Academy Stadium, Manchester, Britain - November 8, 2024 Manchester City's Chloe Kelly during the warm up before the match Action Images via Reuters/Ed Sykes/File photo
(Reuters) - Women's Super League side Arsenal signed Chloe Kelly on a loan deal until the end of the season on Thursday, a day after the English forward demanded a move away from Manchester City.
Kelly, who started just one WSL game for City this season, published a statement on X saying she wanted to move on and improve her chances of making the squad for England's European Championship title defence in July.
The 27-year-old came up through Arsenal's academy and played for the senior team between 2015-17.
"Chloe is an exciting attacking player and will be a great addition to our squad as we approach the second half of the season," Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers said.
"She's direct and explosive, with huge natural talent and ability. We're all looking forward to working with Chloe as an Arsenal player in the coming months."
Arsenal are fourth in the WSL standings with 24 points from 12 matches. They next face City in a league match on Sunday, before playing the same opponents in a Women's League Cup semi-final on Feb. 6.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Peter Rutherford)