Arsenal appoint Renee Slegers as new head coach after impressive interim spell | OneFootball

Renee Slegers has been appointed as Arsenal’s head coach on a permanent basis after managing to save the club’s season since the departure of Jonas Eidevall.

Slegers, who was Eidevall’s assistant before stepping in on an interim basis in October, has overseen an impressive 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions while qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League as group winners.

The Gunners looked to be in disarray when Eidevall resigned just weeks into the season but Slegers has been popular with the first-team squad and has transformed the club’s form as well as the mood around the Emirates ahead of the second half of the Women’s Super League campaign.

The Dutch coach, who won 55 caps for the Netherlands as a player before retiring in 2016, was named WSL manager of the month in December and has signed a contract through to the end of the 2025-26 season.

Arsenal said they held a “thorough” recruitment process after Eidevall’s departure but identified Slegers as the “stand-out” candidate, with the 35-year-old also winning back-to-back Swedish league titles while in charge of previous club Rosengard before joining the Gunners in 2023.

“I’m so excited to be continuing our journey together,” Slegers said. “It’s a wonderful honour to represent this club as head coach and I have so much belief in what we can all achieve together.

“Over the past few months, I’ve felt such a powerful sense of collective ownership and responsibility across our players and staff – that has been our strength and I know we will make sure we drive and nurture this feeling as we all move forward.

“It has meant the world to me to feel the closeness and passion of our supporters during this process, and I want to thank you all for that. We want to deliver something beautiful that’s inspiring and leads to winning trophies. We all have a big part to play in achieving that.”

Under Eidevall, Arsenal won just one of their opening four games of the WSL season and were thrashed 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their opening match of the Champions League campaign.

But since Slegers’s interim appointment, the Gunners have won five of their six WSL games, drawing the other one, to remain within seven points of runaway leaders Chelsea while winning five in a row in the Champions League to qualify as group winners ahead of the quarter-finals.

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Renee Slegers has done impressive work since taking interim charge of Arsenal (Getty Images)

Arsenal have scored 31 goals in their 11 games under Slegers, conceding just five, and also remain in both cup domestic competitions. They have the chance to cut Chelsea’s lead and join the title race when they visit Stamford Bridge in the London derby next Sunday.

Before then, Slegers will take charge of Arsenal as permanent head coach for the first time when they host Crystal Palace on Sunday - as the WSL returns from its winter break.

“We’re delighted to appoint Renee as our permanent head coach,” said Arsenal’s director of women’s football Clare Wheatley. “Renee has excelled during her time as interim head coach, bringing our team, club and supporters together and leading us to a hugely impressive run of results and performances.

“We have undertaken a thorough recruitment process aimed at identifying the best candidate to lead our women’s first team at this exciting time. Renee was the stand-out candidate throughout the process and we’re thrilled to be continuing our journey with her as our permanent head coach.

“Renee understands the values and ambitions of our club, with experience of representing Arsenal both as a young player and now in a coaching capacity. We have every confidence that she is the best person to take us forward as we compete for trophies this season and beyond.”