It’s fair to say the 2022/23 season has represented Laura Coombs’ best term for City to date.

Since joining from Liverpool in the summer of 2019, she has been integral to Gareth Taylor‘s side.

Now, during her most productive season at the Academy Stadium, she’s penned a new deal - keeping her at the Club until 2025.

In total, she’s made 79 appearances, while scoring 13 goals for City– with the stats below showing why she’s remained an integral cog in our machine this term.

CLINICAL COOMBS

Coombs has already outperformed her highest City goals and assist tally for an entire season in all competitions this term.

She’s recorded a combined total of four G/A (four goals and four assists) in 15 appearances, which has bettered her tallies of three (2020/21) and four (2021/22).

And her quadruple of strikes is her equal best in a season for the Club.  

The versatile midfielder opened the Barclays Women’s Super League season with a brace in our 4-3 defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.

She then netted in our comprehensive 3-1 victory over Brighton in December, before scoring arguably her most important goal so far in 2022/23 – in the Manchester derby.

After trailing Manchester United at the interval at the Etihad Stadium, Coombs struck with a close range header to equalise as the spoils were shared in front of a Club record crowd for a women’s match.

Her average of 0.66 G/A per 90 in the WSL also ranks top among her fellow midfielders.

CREATIVITY

Alongside her hot-form in front of goal, Coombs has already bettered her highest WSL assists record in a season for City with three so far.

The first of those two came in the tremendous 3-0 win against Tottenham at Brisbane Road in October, before setting up Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw in our recent 2-0 victory at Leicester.

Per 90 minutes, she’s currently outperforming her average chances created with 1.6 per match so far. Her overall total of 17 also places her fifth across all WSL midfielders in this category.

PASS MASTER 

Supporters have become accustomed to fast and accurate build-up play across all of City’s teams – with a high pass percentage crucial to achieving that.

And Coombs has been crucial to implementing Taylor’s style this season thanks to her accuracy when delivering the ball to team-mates.

Out of the 392 passes she’s attempted this term 336 have been successful, equating to an impressive 85.7 %.

Across the league, her statistics in this department places her third across the entire division’s engine room operators.

VERSATILITY

Not only has Coombs raised her efficiency when going forward, but her immense versatility has been on show across the 15 matches so far.

The midfielder has tallied 13 tackles across her appearances, averaging 1.2 per game with both higher than her previous two season’s totals.

With her ability to win the ball back, she has also led City’s press this term, winning the ball back in the final third 15 times – the highest out of all midfielders in the WSL.

Congratulations on your new contract, Coombsy!