Jonas Eidevall had been coming under increasing pressure at Arsenal as his side’s stuttering start to the season continued but there was still surprise when the head coach’s exit was announced on Tuesday morning.
It was not the Gunners announcing they were going in a different direction, rather the boss himself who had decided it was time for him to leave.
His side had won just one of their four Women’s Super League games, while their return to the group stages of the Champions League started with a demoralising 5-2 defeat at Bayern Munich.
Former Arsenal player Ellen White told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Women’s Football Weekly Podcast: “I was really shocked, shocked more so on him resigning.
“There was a lot of pressure on him as a manager and the football club in general.
“It was inevitable it was going to come soon, but I was surprised it came now rather than after the next few games.”
White says she found it “really hard” watching the team’s performance in their 2-1 Women’s Super League defeat by rivals Chelsea on Saturday.
“I couldn’t see what the players’ tactics were, what the philosophy was. It looked very disjointed, quite individual.”
‘You always knew where you stood with Jonas’
Former Arsenal defender Jen Beattie, who played under the Swede during the last three seasons, says she was not shocked by Eidevall’s departure after seeing his reaction to Saturday’s loss.
Speaking on the BBC’s Women’s Football Weekly Podcast, she said: “You could feel the criticism weighing heavily on him.
“I think his post-match interview said a lot – he wasn’t saying a lot. I can’t say I was shocked given the start that they had.”
Beattie, who left the club in the summer, said the team’s opening to the campaign had a lot of similarities to last year, when they ended up finishing third.
“Arsenal had a poor start last season and it was really hard job to try and catch up with the other teams.
“The standard and expectation at a club like Arsenal, you can’t start a season the way that they have, and I think the club recognise that.”
Despite his failure to wrestle the league title away from Chelsea during his time at the club, Beattie says she “always massively respected him” as her manager.
“The thing I always say about Jonas is you knew exactly where you stood.
“He didn’t wobble easily. From day one he would have felt the pressure of being manager of Arsenal Football Club, so I don’t think that would have changed.
“He was great at keeping the noise outside. It was never spoken about within meetings or on the training field – our focus was on what we were doing.
“He was never one to speak about what other managers were saying in the media or what other pundits, or anyone was saying.”
Growing scrutiny for managers
The sight of fans clamouring for his sacking, by waving P45 signs, during Saturday’s defeat at the Emirates demonstrated the growing scrutiny that managers face as the women’s game grows.
Beattie says the increased attention from media and supporters is “going to come with more criticism”, but she says “it is a natural progression that we do just have to accept”.
“With the level of investment and demand on clubs now, it’s getting similar to the men’s [game],” she says. “I think we will see more resignations and sackings.
“That’s not something we ultimately want to see but with the investment being put into clubs like Arsenal you can’t get away with having poor starts.”
England manager Sarina Wiegman, who was speaking at a news conference shortly after the Eidevall news was announced, said the speculation around Eidevall’s future was a “negative” result of the success of the women’s game.
“The game is growing so much, and is visible so much, and of course now a few clubs in the Champions League, it is getting bigger and bigger.
“So you see that coming too, that’s also become part of the game, and unfortunately this is a negative one. Lots of things are very positive, but also some negative things are coming with that too.”
Who next for Arsenal?
Former Arsenal defender Casey Stoney, who was sacked by her NWSL club San Diego Wave in June, was seen as an early frontrunner for the job having returned to England.
The former Manchester United manager told Sky Sports’ Three Players and a Podcast recently that she was “chomping to get back in” for the right opportunity, yet she is not believed to be under consideration by Arsenal.
Another out-of-work manager currently living in England is former Netherlands coach Mark Parsons, while Tony Gustavsson, who led Australia to the World Cup semi-finals, recently left his role with his country.
Englishman Nick Cushing, who led Manchester City to their first WSL title in 2016, is currently head coach at New York City but has always remained open to a return to England.
The Gunners also have a number of impressive coaches in their ranks who could be in the frame, including Arsenal legend Kelly Smith, former Brighton manager Melissa Clarke-Reed, and Renee Slegers, who succeeded Eidevall at his former club Rosengard and will have the chance to impress as interim head coach.
White said Arsenal have a group of players that are “phenomenal” but it is all about finding the manager who can create the “right blend”.
Arsenal have the squad to win any game, according to Beattie, but they need to get back to playing the “Arsenal way”.
“That free-flowing football, that technical ability that everyone has at that club, I think that’s what the fans would want to see, first and foremost.”