‘I’m Over The Moon’ – Cain’s New Deal Excitement
Welsh international Cain signed a two-year deal ahead of the 2023/24 Barclays Women’s Super League season and feels like she has a real attachment for a Club she’s spent the last three campaigns with.
Part of the Barclays Women’s Championship title-winning squad, the striker spoke to LCFC.com about how much it means to continue with Leicester City.
“I’m over the moon,” Cain said. “It feels like home to me, so it was an easy decision. I have a lot of thoughts and feelings towards the Club – I have such an attachment here. We’ve been on a journey and I’m excited for what’s to come next.
“We’ve gone through some tough times, but we’ve got such a strong core here that have experienced the highs and lows. It’s been difficult to get to this point, but we know how to fight and for me that’s a strong value that I can relate with.”
This summer, City have already announced the signings of German striker Lena Petermann and Belgian international Janice Cayman, along with Janina Leitzig and Courtney Nevin, who have signed permanent deals following successful loan periods last season.
Cain labels these new additions as a sign of intent from the Club, who are continually developing, and the forward is looking forward to seeing what this team could achieve in the future.
“There’s a real excitement,” Cain continued. “There was already a buzz in the squad where we knew we could achieve something, but now, with the signings that are coming in, we’re adding winners, to an already hard-fighting group.
“That’s a positive for us that we can attract these types of players, and it shows where the Club’s going. I think there’s an exciting future building here for everyone that’s a Fox.”
Leicester became the first team in WSL history to overturn a seven-point deficit to secure safety last season, following a win on the final day against Brighton & Hove Albion, and the City player believes this experience will only boost the team’s confidence ahead of the new campaign.
The 24-year-old added: “We have a lot of players that will never forget that experience of last season and even though it wasn’t a nice experience at the time, I’ll never forget that good feeling on the last day when we defied the odds to stay up.
“We know how to win, we know how to win ugly, but I don’t think we’ll need to as much next season. We’ll be able to show what we’re made of as a team.”
Cain went on to talk about the impact that manager Willie Kirk has had on her game and commends all the coaching staff for aiding her development, and stated the approach the Club have taken to the women’s game is a factor in her signing the contract.
“The support from the Club is a massive reason why I’ve stayed,” the forward explained. “They’ve put even more investment into us now, which is amazing. Since January, I think everyone has seen a completely different Leicester side and it’s only going to get better from now.
“Willie [Kirk] has changed things since he came in. There’s a real focus on where we need to be and individually, I’ve improved so much, and I’m learning from all the coaches who are helping my development.
“I want to improve; I want to succeed, and Willie has showed me in sixth months that I can. We all want to be the best, and I believe that the manager, and all the staff can help me achieve that.”
Having missed the first half of last season due to injury, Cain is feeling confident ahead of pre-season, and outlined her ambitions for the upcoming season, with defining what the definition of success means to her.
“Success looks different to everyone, and last season was a success,” said the former Everton forward. “We can’t take that for granted, but now I want success to look a different. I want to win games, I want to score and assist goals.
“My individual aims are to be the best and give everything I can for this team in every game. If I’ve walked off the pitch and everyone is thinking ‘she’s worked hard today’, then I’ll be happy.
“I want the fans to be able to see in my performances how much I love this Club.”