Who is Michelle Agyemang? England striker claims Euros place after ‘flattening' Leah Williamson

Independent

4 days ago

Michelle Agyemang knows how to make an impression. Leah Williamson still remembers the first time she saw the 19-year-old join in with the senior team at Arsenal, and perhaps even has the bruise to prove it. 'She come and flattened me,' Williamson says. 'I was too slow on it and I think I gave her a bit of stick about it, but in my head I thought: 'You need to move the ball quicker, because she's got something about her'.'
England's captain was left similarly impressed as she discusses Agyemeng's impact at another training session a few years later, this time at St George's Park before the Lionesses head to Euro 2025.
'I was screaming for a pass and she put it top bins, and I thought: 'I ain't going to say nothing',' Williamson says. 'So my first impression was she let me know she was there, which I love. As a young player coming through, you can do all the fancy flicks and tricks you want, but somebody needs to know about you, and you need to tell people that you're there, and that's what she does.'
It's a big introduction, but then Agyemang has made a big arrival to be the youngest player to be included in England's Euros squad. Back in April, Agyemeng was a last-minute call-up to England's senior squad ahead of the trip to Belgium, after Alessia Russo took a knock in their previous win and was forced to withdraw. With the Lionesses trailing in the second half, Sarina Wiegman turned to the teenager and within seconds, Agyemeng brought down a long ball on her thigh, swivelled, and fired a first-time volley into the net.
A debut goal could not help England avoid defeat, but that night in Belgium may well be remembered as the moment where Agyemang made her mark: certainly, it's hard to imagine how the striker, who spent last season on loan at Brighton from Arsenal, could have made England's Euros squad without those 41 seconds unfolding as they did. In another world, she is spending her summer at the Under-19s Euros instead. 'The turnaround has been really quick,' Agyemeng says.
And not just this season, either. Take Wiegman's first game in charge of the Lionesses at Wembley, a 4-0 victory over Northern Ireland in October 2021, secured by a Beth Mead hat-trick. Agyemeng played her part, too, but as a ballgirl on the sidelines.
By that stage, those at Arsenal had a sense of what was coming. A lifelong Gunner, she signed for Arsenal at the age of six. She made her first-team debut at the age of 16, before loan spells at Watford and, last season, Brighton. Agyemang scored three goals in the Women's Super League for the Seagulls, where she learned to be more versatile. 'I consider myself a striker, but playing across the front three at Brighton was a challenge for me and it's helped me improve.'
Agyemang is one of seven forwards in the England squad. The teenager comes with the least experience, but also perhaps an unknown quality for opponents to deal with. 'Something completely different,' Williamson said when asked what Agyemang can bring to the tournament. 'Michelle's athleticism is something I can only dream of. Playing against her, training against her at Arsenal as well I knew about Michelle before she came into this environment. Her first training session was just a demonstration of what she was about.
'I think it's good to know who you are but she knows how much I believe in her. So whenever I have a conversation [with Michelle], it's always about wanting her to be in the best environment to push herself as far as she can go. But I think those strengths, it's things that we don't necessarily have, which is a strength for me and the reason that she's here. It adds value.'
Agyemang's coach at Brighton, Dario Vidosic, believes she can be a 'household name' in the future. 'She's got a beautiful strike, she knows how to hit a ball, she's dangerous, she possesses a lot of weapons,' he said earlier this season. And perhaps England have a secret one, even if Agyemang is keeping her feet on the ground.
'For myself personally, keeping my head down, getting ready for the tournament and whatever my role is, that's my main priority,' she says. 'And I'm sure that's the same for any other player going into a main tournament.'