Since arriving from the NWSL side, the Houston Dash, Rachel Daly has been a critical piece for Aston Villa Women. Sitting currently at 64 WSL caps as a Villan, Daly already has 38 goals to her name. Villa fans will be able to continue to watch her put the ball in the back of the net for the Villans, as she has now signed a deal that will see her in B6 until 2027.
While Daly has been here, Villa have achieved a fifth, seventh, and sixth place finish in the final standings of the season. AVWFC has ambitions to take that next step forward and push for a top four position among teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United.
Being able to rely on someone like Daly with her skill set and high-level experience will only further serve the club toward this goal.
Under Natalia Arroyo, Daly, like the Villa side as a whole, has seen a reinvigorated version of herself. The attacker had five direct goal contributions, including three goals in each of the final three ending matches, to help AVWFC not only avoid relegation but also finish in the top half of the table.
Her position is up top. It would be foolish to question that. Against the Gunners, however, Daly saw herself playing in a deeper, attacking midfielder role. During that 5-2 win, she ended up scoring and being a critical part of the attack that ended up putting five past the eventual Champions League winners.
Something to look for from Aston Villa Women
Something like this should show how willing Arroyo is to shift players around and give the opposition different looks that they have not seen before. It also shows the trust that the Spaniard has in a player like Daly to adjust to the position change and still be able to play at the needed level.
With at least two more seasons at the club, it won't be too much longer before Villa fans start to see her scoring goals again and begin to look forward to her hitting the century mark with the club.