Georgia Stanway gets Arsenal tattoo in signing reveal after move from Bayern
Georgia Stanway had the words "Whatever the weather" inked on her right arm in a signing-reveal video last month after completing a free transfer from Bayern Munich to Arsenal, and she moved ninth on England's all-time scorers list in March when she scored her 32nd goal against Iceland.
The 27-year-old arrives at the Emirates Stadium following four trophy-laden years in Germany and holds two European Championship winners' medals with England; her transfer was described as one of the most high-profile moves of an eye-catching Women's Super League window. A long-established member of Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses, Stanway combines international pedigree with a noted interest in tattooing.
The signing video captured Stanway having the North London Forever lyric applied to her skin; she said of her body art, "You see the tattoos - I see the skin." She estimates she has close to 200 tattoos, has developed her skills as an artist and counts England team-mate Beth Mead among her clients, adding, "So much more to come!"
On the Women's Football Weekly podcast Stanway credited her time in Munich with changing her play and personal outlook: "I've massively changed as a player and as a person," she said. "I've got more comfortable with myself and I enjoy my own time a lot more."
She also described the Bundesliga as important to her development: "Munich also gave me the opportunity to develop a position and to figure out how I wanted to play with trust and expectation from the manager." Stanway said those experiences prepared her for the move to Arsenal.
Regarding her decision to join Arsenal she said, "I knew I wanted to take the next step," and added, "I really like the fact Arsenal came in for me when I wasn't available. It's a really nice feeling to be wanted." She praised the club's ambitions: "What Arsenal are building within England, within the WSL, within Europe, is something I want to be part of. "It's setting the standard with women's football."
Arsenal finished second to Manchester City last season and have reshaped their squad this summer, with Beth Mead among those to leave and seven new signings arriving, including Barcelona full-back Ona Batlle and Switzerland midfielder Geraldine Reuteler and forward Lisa Baum, the latter two also coming from German football. Stanway described the arrivals as "a little bit of a new chapter" and said, "A lot of quality has come in. Arsenal obviously went hunting in the Bundesliga, which is a league that sometimes goes under the radar."
Raised in Barrow-in-Furness, Stanway acknowledged adapting to life in London will require adjustment: "I'm a bit of a homebody and I'm so used to everything being so local," she said. "I've already said to the girls about places being so far away and they're like, 'It's only an hour'. I like little things within the countryside, I like farms, so I don't think I'll be in the city too much!"
Listeners can hear Stanway and other Arsenal interviews on the Women's Football Weekly podcast feed, and further Women's Super League coverage is available on the dedicated WSL news page.
