5 things to know about new Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers | OneFootball

Arsenal have appointed interim boss Renee Slegers as their new permanent head coach until 2026, bringing the three-month search to an end.

Former manager Jonas Eidevall stepped down in October and has since taken charge of San Diego Wave in the NWSL. Slegers has been acting as interim since the departure and their surge in form under the Dutchwoman places the Gunners third in the WSL table, seven points behind leaders Chelsea.

Arsenal have won 10 of their 11 games under Slegers so far, drawing only once to Manchester United in that time. The impressive turnaround also meant they qualified top of their Champions League group ahead of Bayern Munich, having edged past the German giants 3-2 before Christmas.

Here, 90min have taken a look at five things you need to know about Arsenal’s head coach as the club enters a new era…

Slegers represented Arsenal as a youngster

Renee Slegers after the Champions League victory over Bayern Munich / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

The manager’s journey with Arsenal didn’t begin in September 2023 when she joined as Eidevall’s assistant. In fact, she was actually on the club’s books as a 17-year-old between 2006 and 2007.

She lived and studied at Oaklands College in Hertfordshire, who are the club’s principal further education provider. Slegers worked with both Alex Scott and Kelly Smith during her initial spell in London and has always spoken extremely fondly of her time in the academy.

She has replaced Eidevall once before

Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall with Renee Slegers / Catherine Ivill - AMA/GettyImages

This also isn’t Slegers’ first time replacing Eidevall in the managerial dugout. Prior to joining Arsenal, she worked in Sweden with FC Rosengard, initially as manager of their B team.

In June 2021, she took charge of their first team after Eidevall’s departure to join Arsenal. She led the team to back-to-back Damallsvenskan titles in both 2021 and 2022 before leaving her post in April 2023.

Slegers retired from her playing career young

Renee Slegers is a former Dutch international / VI-Images/GettyImages

Arsenal’s head coach was just 29 years of age when she called time on her playing career. She earned 55 caps in total for her national team, but her last appearance came in November 2016 when she was just 27.

In a friendly against England, she suffered a serious injury that resulted in her missing the 2017 European Championships, which the Netherlands both hosted and won. After more than a year on the sidelines, she announced her retirement in February 2018.

She has the backing of the players

Renee Slegers with the Arsenal players / Alex Pantling/GettyImages

Arsenal’s incredible run of results under Slegers would not have been possible without the players buying into her methods. The squad have spoken extremely highly of the 35-year-old since October and performances have certainly backed that up on the pitch.

Back in October, Beth Mead described Slegers’ leadership as a ‘breath of fresh air’ when asked whether the squad would like to see her take charge on a permanent basis. Although they were cautious not to speak out while the recruitment process was ongoing, the mood and optimism around the team in the last few months has been palpable.

Results have certainly been going Arsenal and Slegers’ way since she took the reins, but the dynamic will alter slightly now she is in charge on a permanent basis. She has emphasised they must keep pushing forward with everything they’ve been doing right so far to ensure consistency is maintained.

Slegers said in an interview with Ian Wright: "It’s going to be very important for me that nothing changes because I think what’s made us so strong is the collective ownership. So I won’t change, the girls shouldn’t change, no-one should change because we do things really well at the moment."