After spending seven seasons in North London with Arsenal, Vivianne Miedema has penned a three-year deal with Manchester City and will play her club football at the Joie Stadium until 2027.

During her stint with the Gunners, Miedema became the record goalscorer in Barclays Women's Super League history and also shone on the international stage for the Netherlands, netting 95 goals for the Oranjeleeuwinnen.

Miedema, aged 27, will wear the number six shirt for the Cityzens and expressed her excitement to link up with fellow Dutch internationals, Jill Roord and Kerstin Casparij.

"I definitely spoke with Jill about everything," she explained, adding that "if Jill enjoys it, it must be a good place. That made the choice a lot easier. Me and Jill have a similar mindset in football, we both want to feel appreciated, and she said it's really good here."

(Photo by Isaac Parkin/Manchester City FC) Injuries have hampered Miedema's game time as of late, with an anterior cruciate ligament in December 2022 resulting in a prolonged period on the sidelines. "I haven't played as much football as I would have wished over the past two years, but I think and I hope my best years are still to come, and I really hope that's going to be here at City," the Dutch international told the club in her first interview.

She added: "The reason I chose City is because they have the same ambitions as me. They want to win the league and titles. That really applies to what I want as well. I think over the last couple of years the development has been really good. They've got a clear philosophy on how they want to playand I really think we can take this team to the next level. I'm really excited to see what that next level actually brings us."

"Having thought really hard about my future after leaving Arsenal, the main thing that popped up was that I wanted to be at a team who are playing good football. I think in women's football right now, City have a clear philosophy - they obviously did well last season. If I look at the way I want to play, it really suits it. In the end, it's obviously a massive bonus as well that I stay in the WSL," she said.

"I really wanted to stay in the WSL, not really for the records, but for the development of the league. I think over the last couple of years, we've gone from playing at the smaller stadiums with maybe 500 people in the stands to selling out crowds all over the country."

(Photo by Isaac Parkin/Manchester City FC) "I don't think that's necessarily transformed to English clubs winning the Champions League yet, but hopefully we'll get there. I do think this is the best place to be right now. In the end, it was an easy choice for me. I want to challenge myself every day in training, but also every single week in the games we play. I think City is the right place to do that right now."

Miedema, who first arrived in the WSL in 2017 following a spell at Bayern Munich, will join an incredibly talented bank of attacking options at Gareth Taylor's disposal, and she is confident that the club "can have a lot of joy in front of goal" next season.

"I've always said I want to play with the best players in the world and I think City have got that. Attacking-wise, they've got so many different players, different qualities to that again. If you look back at last season, you can see the qualities [Khadija] Bunny [Shaw] has. Lauren Hemp [and] Chloe Kelly obviously play in the England national team as well. I've played with Jill [Roord] for so many years, so I'm pretty sure we'll find each other straight away again," she commented.

Miedema is relishing the chance to link up with Gareth Taylor, who penned a three-year contract extension in March that will also keep him at the club until the summer of 2027. "I've had conversations with him," she revealed, noting that "we spoke about the future of the club, the way he wants to train, what his plans are - and it just got me really excited."

Gareth Taylor and Vivianne Miedema of Manchester City Signs a contract for Manchester City at Manchester City Football Academy on June 05, 2024 in Manchester, England (Photo by Isaac Parkin/Manchester City FC) "I think as we know, I love football. I love talking about football, and I really can't say a bad thing about him and I'm really looking forward to working with him."

That excitement was reciprocated by Taylor, who said: "We're really looking forward to welcoming Viv to City and seeing her flourish over the next three years. Our ambition is to compete on the highest stage and for the highest honours, and Viv is aligned to this desire."

"She's a top talent that I'm excited to work with as she's a player I've always admired. Viv will be a real asset to the team," he concluded.

With UEFA Women's EURO2025 qualifying scheduled for mid-July, Miedema will now return to the Netherlands to link up with the Oranjeleeuwinnen for matches against Italy and Norway. She'll join the Manchester City squad for pre-season training at the end of the month, before the Cityzens head down under for the inaugural Perth International Football Cup in late August.