'Arsenal have a plan for me that isn't just limited to these loans'

The headline on Arsenal's website in early August 2023 was short and sweet.

- Suzanne Wrack

“Teenage trio to join Watford on dual agreement,” it read. That trio included Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid, two players whose names were known to the keenest of fans then and who have since become part of mainstream conversation for positive reasons. More recently they have made headlines for a more devastating reason, having both sustained anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

In any footballer’s career a bit of good fortune is needed, alongside a manager being brave enough to take a chance on you. The knee injury that led to Leah Williamson missing the start of the Women’s Super League season created the space for Reid to be given an opportunity in the first team, while an Alessia Russo ankle knock led to Agyemang’s first England call-up in April. Both subsequently shone, making the forced interruptions to their respective professional journeys especially cruel.

What, then, of the third player to join Watford from Arsenal a little over two years ago? Is she, too, hungry for a chance to force the door open at Arsenal? Her name is Laila Harbert, an 18-year-old midfielder who joined Portland Thorns this summer, her third loan move - she was also at Southampton - coming midway through the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season.