Chloe Arthur Returns to Celtic FC Women for 2026/27 SWPL Season

Celtic FC Women have turned to a familiar face as they shape their squad for the 2026/27 SWPL campaign, bringing Scotland international Chloe Arthur back to the club on a short-term deal that feels as much like a homecoming as a signing.

For Arthur, this is not just another move. It is a return to the place where it all started. A graduate of Celtic FC Women’s Academy, she broke into the first team at just 16, having impressed rapidly after leaving local side Erskine YFC. Those early years in green and white set the tone for a career that has rarely paused for breath.

By 20, she was pulling on a Scotland shirt. Her first cap arrived in February 2015 against Northern Ireland, the moment her club progress was matched by international recognition. That same year she swapped Glasgow for Edinburgh, joining Hibernian and helping them reach the 2015 Scottish Cup final, a key step in her development in the domestic game.

Then came the leap south. In 2016, Arthur joined Bristol City in the English second tier and made an immediate impact, scoring on her debut and driving the Robins’ promotion push. That move opened a decade-long chapter in England, a spell that would harden her game and test her against some of the best in the women’s game.

Birmingham City followed, then Aston Villa, as Arthur established herself as a reliable, combative midfielder at WSL level. In the summer of 2022 she signed for Crystal Palace, where her influence only grew. Across her first two seasons in south London she made more than 40 appearances, anchoring midfield and adding one league goal as Palace surged to the WSL2 title in May 2023.

The momentum did not stop there. Arthur remained a central figure during the 2024/25 campaign, helping Palace secure a second promotion in three years and reach WSL1, underlining her value as a player who delivers when the stakes rise.

On the international stage, her CV is just as impressive. Arthur has represented Scotland at two major tournaments: the 2017 UEFA Women’s European Championship and the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, experience that few in the SWPL dressing rooms can match.

So when she walked back into Celtic, it carried weight. It felt personal.

“I think it’s kind of like a full circle moment for me,” Arthur said after sealing her return. “Obviously, I grew up here in the academy. I went away for just over 10 years. But to come back and there’s familiar faces, the players, the staff, obviously back at the training ground and it’s where I grew up. So for me, it’s kind of like it’s home.”

For head coach Grant Scott, the signing is as much about character as it is about quality.

“Chloe is a quality midfielder with experience playing at the highest level for both club and country. We’re delighted she’s decided to return to Celtic to play her part next season,” he said. “She’s come through the ranks here, so we’re all well aware of the professionalism and leadership she’ll bring to the squad. We can’t wait to add her to the group ahead of the new season.”

Celtic are not just adding another body to midfield. They are bringing back one of their own, now hardened by a decade in England, tested in European finals and World Cups, and ready to channel all of that into a club that still feels like home.

The timing is no accident. With the 2026/27 SWPL season looming and the margins at the top growing ever finer, Celtic have turned to a player who knows the badge, knows the demands, and has spent ten years proving she can live up to both.