REPUBLIC OF IRELAND’S Louise Quinn faces an uncertain future at Arsenal, with her contract coming to an end at the beginning of June, a little over one month after signing for the club.
This is the latest in a sequence of challenges that have befallen the 26-year-old, but considering the turbulent times she has already come through, she’s well equipped to manage the task in front of her.
Last month, she soldiered alongside her Irish teammates in a stand-off with the FAI, demanding better standards of treatment for the players.
After hurdling that obstacle, she was back in uncertain terrain again, when her former club Notts County folded just two days before their first game of the Spring Series.
Her livelihood was temporarily at risk, but shortly after that shock announcement, Arsenal Ladies offered her a reprieve.
They had previously expressed an interest in her before she moved to Notts County, and after they were hit with a few injuries, they were back in the market again, looking for a central defender.
After her contract links with Notts County were settled, the move to Arsneal was processed quite quickly and Quinn was ready to begin the next chapter of her career.
Ironically, Arsenal were supposed to be the opposition for that Spring Series opener that never came to pass.
But some of those injured players have since regained their fitness, which has made the task of securing a starting position slightly more difficult for the Wicklow native.
The game time she has been afforded culminated in two goals against Birmingham City over the weekend, to help her side to a 4-2 victory in the Spring Series.
Both goals were headers from set-pieces, an aspect of the game that Quinn has worked hard to become proficient in.
“Any time we get set-pieces, I’m almost disappointed any time I don’t score,” she tells The42.
“For the past few weeks at the end of training sessions, Katie McCabe (Ireland and Arsenal teammate) has been whipping in balls for me and I’ve been getting my head on the end of them. There’s been a lot of practise, and it’s finally coming through.”
But she’s eager for more, and with her contract coming to an end, she wants to give herself every chance of extending her time with the London club, and put more game time in the legs.
“I have that confidence in myself that I should be playing. but I still have a fairly good attitude about it. It’s just me. I want to learn, I want to progress.
“I’m still trying to figure out how I fit into the English system as well. It’s good motivation for me really. I’m not feeling the pressure and it’s a big learning curve for me.”
(I’m) always just looking forward and I’m really enjoying the challenges. It’s maybe a little bit more than I had asked for but it’s something I’m very proud of to have come through it.”
Quinn is adjusting well to life in London. She’s integrating herself into the panel with the aforementioned McCabe, helping her to settle in.
Arsenal is a club that boasts an impressive trophy haul, with a multitude of domestic titles already sitting in the cabinet. They also won the FA Cup final last year, defeating Chelsea 1-0 in Wembley Stadium.
Tributes to past achievements are displayed around the Arsenal grounds and Quinn is motivated by the challenge of earning a long-term place in a successful club.
Since departing from Notts County, Quinn has maintained contact with her former teammates that have moved on elsewhere.
Some have linked up with new clubs, while others have decided to explore other options.
Everyone is encouraged to know that their friends are excelling at new clubs, but the downside for Quinn and her former teammates, is that they will now meet on opposite sides of the white line.
“Almost everyone has gotten a new team that wanted to. Some of them have taken another path and have gone out into the working world and stuff like that.
“In the game the other day against Birmingham, one of my old Notts County teammates (Rachel Williams) scored the two goals for them.
We were both delighted for each other that we’ve found somewhere that we’re happy. Don’t write off the Notts County players, even after everything that we’ve been through.”
“There’s a nice, friendly rivalry.”
Imposing herself on a game from the bench, is a new experience for Quinn, and she’s learning to adapt.
She’s been adjusting to new circumstances over the course of the last few months, and she’s ready for any new challenge that unfolds before her.
Her time at Arsenal may be against the clock, but her two goals over the weekend, in addition to her other impressive performances, gives her plenty to bargain with when talks begin about her future.
“I’m kind of use to it now and I’m looking forward to see what can happen. My work ethic hasn’t stopped even though I haven’t been playing as much.”
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