Beth Mead keen to play alongside Alessia Russo at Arsenal

Arsenal forward Beth Mead has revealed she would 'love' to play alongside England teammate Alessia Russo at club level and suggested an announcement sooner rather than later would help lift some weight off the player’s shoulders ahead of the World Cup.

Russo’s departure from Manchester United as a free agent was recently confirmed after failing to agree a new contract with the club she supported growing up. A move to direct rivals Arsenal has since become one of the WSL’s worst kept transfer secrets.

The Gunners had been knocked back with two world record transfer bids for the 24-year-old striker towards the end of the January transfer window, with Russo then going on to help Manchester United finish second in the final WSL table and qualify for the Champions League for the first time.

The player admitted this week that speculation regarding her future, which has been ongoing since first rejected the offer of a new contract shortly before Euro 2022 last summer, has been 'tough' on her in recent months. But the upcoming World Cup has been a welcome distraction.

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"It's a tough one for Alessia, she's got a lot going on," Mead told 90min Talks.

"We all talk about where [she's going] and what she's doing, but not the impact that she's got the stress of a World Cup coming up. An announcement, for her, would be great before the World Cup to take that off her shoulders.

"Wherever Alessia has chosen to go, I'm sure she's made the right decision for her. I'd love to see her [at Arsenal] and play alongside Alessia. It'd be nice to put some balls into the box for her to finish."

Mead herself is missing the World Cup due to the ACL injury she suffered in November. But the Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner and Ballon d’Or runner up is getting towards the final stages of her rehab and recovery, having returned to light training on grass last month.