Lotte Wubben-Moy doesn’t shy away from the truth. “I’d be lying if I said there weren’t doubts,” the Arsenal and England defender admits. After a stop-start journey with just 16 caps since her 2021 debut, she’s faced questions about her role. But now, at 27, she’s crafting her perfect storm.
With Leah Williamson injured and Steph Catley recently back from the Asia Cup, Wubben-Moy has grabbed her chance at Arsenal. The childhood Gunners fan is proving she’s more than a stand-in. “I feel like this is me, and I’ve kind of just been waiting for the moment to be able to show it,” she says. Ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Spain on Tuesday and Iceland the following Saturday, her confidence is soaring.
“Regardless of the game, regardless of the moment, I always feel prepared,” Wubben-Moy states. “I wouldn’t say it’s my biggest strength, but I would say it’s something that grounds me and that gives me the best foundation to then go and express myself on the pitch and to empower and to lead in the way that I do.” She sees herself as a puzzle piece in a big picture that spans club and international football.
Staying ever-ready isn’t easy, but Wubben-Moy takes a philosophical approach. “As a football player you constantly sort of teeter on the line of confidence, of belief, and I think, ultimately, when you live life introspectively, live life constantly wanting to push yourself, I think you will only ever get good results,” the centre-back explains. Her focus? The details, especially off-pitch work.
Zone 2 training has become a key part of her regimen. These endurance- and metabolism-boosting workouts at low to moderate intensity are something she takes “a lot of pride in.” Conversations with her partner, British cyclist Tao Geoghegan Hart, have fueled this interest. “The cross-pollination of different sports, of different modalities and different curiosities is, I think, underestimated and actually underrated in football in general,” Wubben-Moy argues. “We’re in this little box, but actually there’s so many more approaches that we can take and it really intrigues me.”
She’s absorbing lessons from top athletes across disciplines. “My partner’s in a place in his career where he has achieved and he has absorbed from some of the best of the best, and that’s something he’s now sharing with me, and it’s something that I’m sharing with my teammates,” she says. “There’s so much power within being able to share and grow collectively.”
The results are tangible. “I’m in a better place for it; stronger, fitter, with more belief and, ultimately, just playing with a smile on my face – we can forget that at this level.” But her edge comes from more than just physical training.
Wubben-Moy’s community project, the Lots to Explore programme at Arsenal, is written into her contract. “It gives me so much energy,” she notes. “You wouldn’t see it from the outside as a performance enhancer, but it is for me.” This holistic view defines her approach. “When I look at the fine margins, it’s not something I necessarily see in a one-dimensional sense, that is just formula-driven, statistics-driven, on the pitch. I look at all of those things but I’m also doing more beyond it that gives me energy.”
She calls it “intentional living” and recommends it to young players. “Everyone’s looking for that edge, everyone’s looking to get ahead but actually maybe you’re not looking in the right places. When you look at life with curiosity and intention, there are so many more possibilities to grow from to become a better player.”
Reflecting on her patience and recent performances, Wubben-Moy says she was “waiting to brew.” “I was just waiting for the right opportunity, the perfect storm – we’re all trying to create that perfect storm in many ways.” With World Cup qualifiers looming, that storm is here, and she’s ready to unleash it.
