The ending was abrupt and not at all how Jonas Eideval planned to leave Arsenal. The Swedish boss has spent just over three years in north London, signing a new and improved contract last October in a mutually agreed ambition to return Arsenal to their former glory.
The problem was, and perhaps still is, that at some point the club had to stop looking at ambitions like the future and framing intentions for the present day.
The plan was always to succeed beyond a few continental cups (as important as that was), but when did the fans tire of the uncertainty of it all, and as a result, the heat for Eidwal increased.
Then, when Chelsea returned to west London with a deserved three points on a blustery mid-October day, it all came to a head the impressively large fan base Eidevall and the club as a whole had worked tirelessly to develop over several years. : The Eidevall project is over.
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Arsenal lost to Chelsea in their last game under Jonas Eideval
Speaking to the San Diego Wave in the US on the eve of the announcement of the new venture, Eideval said: Sky Sports on what led him to leave midway through a campaign that began with such optimism, and what he says about the “tremendous coach” who stepped into his shoes.
“I personally decided before that Chelsea game that it was the best decision for me to leave,” Eideval exclusively reveals. “What I saw was a team that was missing only small details, but I saw at that moment that my relationship with the fans was like a cloud.
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Since Eideval’s departure, Arsenal have won 10 of their 11 games in all competitions and climbed to third in the WSL table.
“We had to find a way to remove that cloud quickly. It was an incredibly difficult decision for me because you have a part of you that wants to be a fighter and prove the doubters wrong; That’s what I’ve been doing my whole career.
“But you have to zoom out and understand what’s about you and what’s about the team. what do the players need right now? I thought the easiest and fastest way to help the players is to remove that cloud, and that?
Although the decision was abrupt from the outside, Eideval had sensed a change in tone long ago. It’s too simplistic to attribute the turning point to one single event, but there was some shift when Arsenal let the WSL’s all-time top goalscorer Vivian Miedema leave on a free transfer last summer.
Vivian Miedma scored against Manchester City on his return to Arsenal earlier this season
“It was obvious that I lost my relationship with the fans when we decided not to renew the contract with Miedema,” Eideval reflects.
What didn’t help Eideval’s cause was where Miedma ended up. Not only did one of the most feared strikers in the women’s game leave Arsenal for free, she joined direct WSL rivals Manchester City, further strengthening their case when ” The Gunners’ claim to WSL silverware was as far away as it’s ever been.
“I thought that there would be so much noise because of that decision, didn’t I?” he continues. “But then, and people don’t get the full picture here, we had the option of bringing in Mariona Caldente from Barcelona. It was never possible to get both from a budget point of view.
Mariona Caldentei signed from Barcelona in the summer and has been a bright spark in her eight WSL starts so far.
“I was in a situation where I couldn’t really talk about those things (the Miedema contract) and that becomes problematic. People looked at the decision in isolation, but it was never an isolated decision.
“Arsenal wants and needs to succeed in a sustainable way, which also means making tough economic decisions and it was never looked at through that lens. We had to choose and prioritize and that’s the reality.”
Still, Eidewal takes great pride in his time at Arsenal, and rightly so. While there may have been more significant victories off the pitch than on the pitch, the Swedish coach has been part of a very positive culture change at the club in the WSL , the envy of the people they have attracted and the loyalty of such affluent fans, moving seamlessly to their newly appointed Emirates Stadium.
Their trading power, despite not winning the WSL since 2019, is at an all-time high, and Eideval herself continues to be a driver of growth in the women’s game more broadly.
“It was an incredible time to be part of the club. To see how invested the power of having a club is from a sporting point of view, but also from a commercial point of view, and to understand that growing a team is not done without cooperation.
Arsenal won back-to-back Conti trophies in 2023 and 2024, beating Chelsea both times.
“In my time we developed into a team that was very competitive against the best teams, we got to the semi-finals of the Champions League and beat Chelsea in two finals. That part was important to progress and I had the privilege of doing that when we averaged 1,500. we reached 35,000, it was special.”
Eideval’s Arsenal era, of course, coincided with a certain force on the pitch: Emma Hayes’ Chelsea.Many managers have clashed with Hayes and lost, but Eideval can boast back-to-back cup finals;
But with Hayes now the head coach of the US team, will that change anytime soon?
Eideval and Emma Hayes faced off in last season’s Conti Cup final
“We didn’t send each other Christmas wishes,” says Eideval with a warm smile. “At Arsenal, I had players who played for Emma. It was always the players’ interest in the center. We haven’t been in touch since March last year We haven’t been, but I’m not in any contact with resentment.”
Looking ahead, the 41-year-old is excited about what lies ahead in a new country, working in a league with untold opportunities : That’s a development we don’t see in Europe at the moment, and that’s the main difference.”
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Is Rene Slegers the perfect permanent replacement for Eideval at Arsenal?
But Eideval is still keeping an eye on his former club’s progress and is enjoying the success of Rene Slegers, who has won 10 of his 11 games in charge, including reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Arsenal have jumped to third in the WSL table and are unbeaten since Eideval’s departure.
“René has done a great job, I’m not surprised. He’s a very good coach. It’s a very skilled team. The players have taken a lot of responsibility on the pitch. They’ve performed very well.”
Slagers has yet to earn that role permanently, but he’s earned his shot, Eideval believes.
“From what I know, the work they do, I don’t think any changes are necessary. Knowing Rene personally and how talented he is, I would absolutely support him for the job.
“Arsenal have the best depth if you compare the three clubs (at the top of the WSL). They are a team built to compete in all four competitions and this spring will be proof of that.”
The WSL is back! Sky Sports screens on Friday 17 January when Liverpool host Brighton; start at 19:00
