🧠 Food for Thought - Why We Signed Daphne van Domselaar.

Daphne van Domselaar joined Arsenal last summer | Getty

Following the departure of veteran goalkeeper Sabrina D'Angelo last summer, we officially unveiled Daphne van Domselaar as the latest addition to our Goalkeeper Union (GKU) on the final day of July, much to the delight of a plethora of supporters.

Understandably, Gooners everywhere would've then been chomping at the bit to see her donning the faithful cannon on the pitch, but injury setbacks meant we had to patiently wait to see the Dutch international make her full bow. And when she finally did, she did not disappoint. Three brilliant saves and a clean sheet were registered in a Player-of-the-Match performance as our new no. 14 announced herself with aplomb, helping us to a narrow 1-0 victory at the King Power Stadium.

Daphne van Domselaar put in a Player-of-the-Match performance in her debut v Leicester City (A) | Getty

As earlier indicated, D'Angelo's exit left a gaping hole in the GKU, but was van Domselaar's arrival simply a move to plug that gap, or was there more to the shrewd piece of business? With 5 games (4 WSL, 1 UWCL) under her belt already, here are some of the blatant factors that jump out as to why we moved swiftly to bring in the Netherlands international:

1. Saves.

Shot stopping is a goalie's bread and butter, and with an average of 2.5 saves per 90 in the domestic league this season, Daphne's save percentage of 83.3% from 12 shots on target faced ranks her in the 78.6% percentile of WSL goalkeepers thus far. She also boasts a whopping 96% percentile ranking on the save percentage metric over the past 365 days (compared to all goalkeepers from similar leagues). When it comes to shot stopping, few rival the Dutch between the sticks.

[Stats courtesy of FotMob and FBRef]

Van Domselaar's save rate is among the highest in the league | Getty

2. Claims.

How often do you watch a cross come into the 6-yard box and yearn for your goalkeeper to come out and claim it, and just settle any nerves in the backline? I know I've felt that way in the past, but van Domselaar's already made 2 high claims in the domestic league this season. She also "claims" (pun intended) a high claim percentile ranking of 87% over the past 365 days (compared to goalkeepers from similar leagues). Our shot stopper also ranks in the 82nd percentile for the percentage of crosses stopped (9.0% per 90).

[Stats courtesy of FotMob and FBRef]

The Dutch international ranks highly in high claims and cross stoppage | Getty

3. Distribution.

Modern football's all about playing out from the back. We draw in the opposition's press so we can exploit the spaces left in-behind. This means having a goalkeeper who's good on their feet. Our no. 14 currently boasts an impressive 89.5% pass accuracy in the 2024/25 WSL season (85.7% percentile ranking compared to WSL goalkeepers). We rarely go long at Arsenal, but Daphne's 45.5% long ball accuracy still ranks her at 74.1% percentile. Over the past year, her launched ball completion rate jumps up to 85% percentile (46.7% per 90) compared to goalkeepers from similar leagues, while her attempted passes rank at 89% percentile (39.07 per 90). A press-resistant, pass-savvy goalkeeper can brim you with confidence while playing out from the back, and Daphne certainly does that.

[Stats courtesy of FotMob and FBRef]

Our no. 14's kicking exudes confidence | Getty

4. Clean Sheets.

Considering the award every goalkeeper sets out to claim every season, The Golden Glove, is based on clean sheets, I imagine every goalkeeper prides themselves in the amount they keep over a season. Albeit we started to keep more clean sheets in the latter stages of last season, we only managed one clean sheet in our first 7 WSL matches. Daphne van Domselaar's already managed 3 clean sheets in her 4 WSL starts this season, ranking her at a league-high 100% percentile. She's also yet to make an error leading to a goal, placing her yet again at a league-best 100% percentile. It's still early doors, but keeping up this trajectory would stand her in good stead for a certain golden glove.

[Stats courtesy of FotMob and Google]

Daphne's 3 clean sheets in 4 starts rank her at a league-high 100% percentile | Getty

5. Goal Prevention.

Every team has a bad day at the office, and when you're not playing well, sometimes, it's down to your goalkeeper to bail you out. World-class goalies do this by keeping you from conceding strikes that, in reality, should be hitting the back of the net. Did you know, Daphne van Domselaar has prevented us from conceding 2 goals this season? This as she's only picked out the ball from her net twice from a PSxG (Post-Shot xG) conceded of 4.1 in the 4 WSL matches the Dutch has featured in. Meaning, we were expected to concede 4.1 goals in those matches, but Daphne kept out 2.1. Again, it's a world-class art and long may it continue.

[Stats courtesy of FBRef]

The Dutch international's ability to keep out goals she's expected to concede is world-class | Getty

The Nutshell.

So, in a nutshell, the signing of the best WSL and the best Dutch national goalkeeper, as well as the third-best ranked goalkeeper in the world (footballdatabase.eu rankings) has been a shrewd piece of business. With 3 clean sheets in 4 WSL starts already this season, things are looking up. With the ability to come out and claim crosses, command her box, as well as calmly play out from the back, the Dutch shot stopper certainly brings remarkable qualities to the table. Furthermore, her goal-prevention ability is world-class, and the envy of any manager.

The Dutch shot stopper has been a revelation since joining the Gunners | Getty

What qualities of our new no. 14 have impressed you the most? Do you think she's world-class? Food for thought 🧠