If there is one Arsenal Women player we missed in the last weeks of the season, it was Lia Walti. In mid-March, after Arsenal had lost 3-1 to Chelsea Women, it was announced that Walti would be sidelined due to a knee injury.
Back then, there was hope Walti would return and even play in Arsenal’s final few games of the season, but her 15 appearances (13 in the starting lineup) by then ended up not being added to.
“She suffered a minor knee injury in training this week so she will be out for several weeks,” Eidevall said in a previous press conference. “What several weeks means in relation to the season, I don’t know yet.”
“We need to let this go a couple of weeks then we will have a much better picture and we can see if she will be available for the last games of the season. But it is a minor knee injury and that is important to say.”
Well, Walti didn’t return to help our Gunners finish the 2023-24 season. Arsenal Women finished third in the WSL, and while they will play in the Champions League next season, if they pass the group stage qualifiers in September, their performance last season was disappointing.
Most Gooners had high expectations for this team when it was significantly strengthened last summer with some of the best talents in the women’s game, including Cloe Lacasse, Amanda Ilestedt, Laia Codina, Alessia Russo, and Kyra Cooney-Cross.
That being said, there is the upcoming season to look forward to, and what is the latest on Walti’s injury? The Swiss international has hinted that she will soon be fit and ready to play; the injury has taken longer than planned, but she is confident that she will be back soon.
Walti said in an interview with 20min.ch “I’m able to move around again, which is the most important part. I’m taking it one step at a time. I’m relieved because it could have been a longer recovery.”
Hopefully, Walti will be fit enough to join Arsenal Women’s pre-season tour in the United States to regain match fitness and command the Arsenal midfield as they fight for a Champions League position next season. She might also be very useful as they strive to win the WSL.
Danni P
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THANK YOU FOR THIS UPDATE, I HAD BEEN WONDERING AND CONCERNED, I GUESS EVEN A SMALL KNEE INJURY CAN KEEP A PLAYER OFF THE TEAM, LIA, ALONG WITH BETH MEAD, LIA IS MY FAVOURITE PLAYER, INTELLIGENT, SHE MARSHALLS PLAYERS AROUND HER, SHE IS POLITE, WHICH MAY NOT MATTER TO SOME, BUT IT DOES TO ME, SHE READS THE GAME WELL , SHE MOVES WELL (”SNAKE HIPS” ? LOL ), SHE DOESN T HARDLY EVER LOSE THE BALL, THANK GOODNESS SHE S ON THE MEND, I HOPE FOR HER SAKE SHE GETS ON THE US TOUR BUT THE KEY WILL BE FOR HER TO BE FULLY MATCH FIT FOR THE GUNNERS AT START OF THE NEW WSL SEASON AND THE EUROPEAN GAMES