Sanderson and Asante defect to Chelsea

Arsenal and England starts Lianne Sanderson, 20, and Anita Asante, 23, announced yesterday that they will be playing at Chelsea next season.

Chelsea Ladies' new manager, Steve Jones, is also ex-Arsenal; until recently he was coach of the gunners' reserve team.

While the double departure leaves Vic Akers with some serious rebuilding to do, in the long run it can only be a good thing. The absolute dominance Arsenal Ladies have enjoyed over the last few seasons has not been good for the development of women's football overall, and a bit of redistribution among the leading players will only serve to strengthen the level of competition in the league.

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