Anna Patten is hoping for a 'really positive' second half to the 2021/22 campaign after signing for Aston Villa Women.
The defender joins the club for the remainder of the season having spent the duration of her professional career with Arsenal.
Patten, 22, played and studied in the United States for four years before re-joining the Gunners in 2021, representing the Florida State Seminoles and the South Carolina Gamecocks in the process.
Speaking to VillaTV for the first time, the English-born player expressed her enthusiasm to hit the ground running in claret & blue.
“It’s great to be here," said Patten.
I’m very happy and very excited to start off this new year here."
While Patten has competed at the top level for Arsenal, she has found consistent game time difficult to come by and therefore seeked an opportunity to continue her development elsewhere.
“It was really important to come somewhere where the team plays football and has a plan in place for the next half of the season," she explained.
"Villa were interested in me and I jumped on that opportunity.”
Both Villa and Patten will be hoping for a fruitful second half of the campaign, with the 22-year-old believing both parties can benefit from one another.
“I really want to develop as a player and get a lot of game time," Patten stated.
"I want to bring strong, confident performances and put myself back out there in the WSL.”
“I look forward to hopefully helping the team. It’s really nice to start a new year with a new team here at Villa and hopefully it’ll be a really positive next six months.”
You can watch Anna's full interview with VillaTV below.
