WSL talents are also being pursued by Saudi clubs! Ashleigh Plumptre, a defender for Nigeria, has completed her transfer to Al-Ittihad following a strong World Cup performance.

Ashleigh Plumptre joined Al-Ittihad and is now one of the most well-known female athletes in the Saudi Arabian league.

After three years at the club and the expiration of her contract in June, the Nigerian international signed with Al-Ittihad. The 25-year-old expressed her eagerness to begin playing in the Saudi Women’s Premier League in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“grateful for signing up with Al-Ittihad. I’m eager to go off on this trip with some extraordinary people. My quest to become more of myself goes on… It goes beyond football, “She composed.

Many big names in the men’s game have joined the Saudi Pro League over the past year or so, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Riyad Mahrez. But this is, arguably, the first big high profile name on the women’s side to make the switch to Saudi. Plumptre, who represented England at Under-15, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-23 levels before choosing to represent Nigeria, follows Venezuela’s Oriana Altuve, fellow Nigerian Rita Chikwelu and Sweden’s Nor Mustafa into the league. The defender, who qualifies for Nigeria through her paternal grandfather, impressed at this year’s Women’s World Cup as the Super Falcons narrowly missed out on the quarter-finals after losing on penalties to eventual runners-up England.

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IN TWO PHOTOS:GettyGetty

WHAT NEXT? The new women’s Saudi Premier League season kicks off on October 13, with Plumptre now set to join up with her new team-mates at Al-Ittihad to begin preparations for her debut.