Jonas Eidevall’s decision to resign as Arsenal manager this week is the start of a new era at the club where they will look to plot a route back to the top.
Once the powerhouse of English women’s football, the Gunners have fallen behind their rivals Chelsea in the pursuit of domestic silverware.
During Eidevall’s three-year spell in charge, he helped develop professionalism off the pitch, but ultimately fell short of expectations and ambitions on it.
He delivered two Women’s League Cups and led Arsenal to a Women’s Champions League semi-final, but Chelsea were able to wrap up a fifth successive league title during that time.
Arsenal’s task now is to address the issues that crept in under Eidevall’s management and recruit a strong successor to catch up on their rivals.
So what needs to change? When will the recruitment process start? And what are the club’s priorities?
Why Arsenal’s loyalty backfired
Arsenal’s loyalty in Eidevall eventually backfired.
Despite failing to progress from the qualifying rounds of the Women’s Champions League last season, they handed him a new three-year deal in October 2023.
That caused controversy and a failure to challenge for the WSL title and the FA Cup afterwards did not help the 41-year-old’s case.
It was compounded by Arsenal’s decision not to offer record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema a contract extension in the summer after an apparent falling out with Eidevall – and she has thrived following her free transfer to rivals Manchester City.
Inconsistent results and a tendency to start the season slowly has been harmful so Arsenal and Eidevall made it clear that needed to change in August.
They went to the United States for pre-season to get the players ready for Women’s Champions League qualifying and they progressed, though not convincingly.
Poor results against Everton and Bayern Munich followed, as well as a draw with current WSL leaders City and defeat by Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal had backed Eidevall in the transfer market, recruiting Sweden striker Rosa Kafaji among others, but he has overlooked her so far this season.
Discontent had been growing among the fanbase and last weekend’s 2-1 defeat by Chelsea was a tipping point. While Arsenal were not planning any immediate action, Eidevall felt he could no longer take the team forward and came to a quick decision.
How will the recruitment process work?
Arsenal’s sporting director Edu was among those in attendance at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, watching on as they fell to a first league defeat after one win and two draws.
He was joined by non-executive director Tim Lewis, who has followed the women’s team closely.
Edu is expected to play a role in recruiting Eidevall’s successor, alongside Arsenal’s director of women’s football Clare Wheatley.
Former Brazil international Edu has been praised for his player recruitment at the club on the men’s side and there is an extensive, detailed process in place.
Whether that approach will be taken to recruit the new women’s head coach is unknown, but Arsenal say they have full confidence in Renee Slegers for the interim period and their process to find a replacement is already under way.
Eidevall’s decision to step away on his own terms was admired by Arsenal and it gives the club time after their games against Valerenga and West Ham this week to advance their search during the international break.
They could also choose to line up a replacement for the new year, with the WSL season set to pause for a winter break from mid-December until mid-January.
However, there are just 22 games in the WSL season and Arsenal have already played four. They will also have completed their group-stage campaign in the Women’s Champions League by 18 December – so they cannot wait too long.
What will new manager need to deliver?
The expectation of Arsenal’s new manager will be simple – to deliver silverware.
Eidevall helped build a clearer structure at Arsenal, increase staff members and push for the women to have access to better resources, so the foundations are there.
The club have spent money in recent transfer windows, retained some of their biggest stars on new contracts and increased their wage bill.
It means there is a squad packed full of talent and more than capable of winning the game’s biggest prizes.
Now Arsenal need a manager who can bring the pieces together and deliver a WSL title, as well as ensuring they are competing regularly in the Women’s Champions League.
The new boss will face scrutiny from a fanbase that has grown impatient with their lack of success, while rivals Chelsea have enjoyed plenty of it.
Arsenal’s new manager must deliver.