The past week has been fun for those who follow Arsenal. They may have beaten Manchester City 4-3 in the Women’s Super League but it has also been a time for staff, coaches, journalists and fans to test their pronunciation skills.
Jenna Nighswonger (pronounced NYE-swong-ger) signed on from Gotham FC on deadline day late last week, becoming the latest USWNT player to move to England. The defender’s arrival has been greeted by light-hearted attempts to pronounce her surname properly but Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers says with a smile, “I just say Jenna.”
While this kind of transatlantic move seems to be another in a growing trend, Nighswonger says that her arrival in English football is one that has always been on the cards.
“To go way back, this is something I wanted to do since I was seven or eight,” the 24-year-old says in her first roundtable interview since joining Arsenal. “When I was planning my whole life, as one does, coming out of college I wanted to go to Europe. But then a great opportunity with Gotham happened (she was selected fourth overall in the 2023 NWSL draft). I went to Gotham but in the back of my mind, I always really wanted to play in Europe.
“I watched the Premier League a lot. I would watch every team because that’s just where the good…
