January is a time of new beginnings, a sentiment that could be felt at Arsenal’s training ground this week.
Every year, the women’s squad photo is framed above the stairway that leads to the press room. This week, that photo, which showed former head coach Jonas Eidevall with last season’s Arsenal squad, was replaced.
In its place is a new photo showing Renee Slegers and Alessia Russo holding their Women’s Super League manager, player and goal of the month awards for December, surrounded by the playing squad and 27 members of backroom staff
Slegers is now Arsenal’s permanent head coach after a three-month recruitment process. The Dutch 35-year-old was keen for the club’s hierarchy to conduct the undertaking in full, and not hand her the job simply because she was interim. That meant rounds of interviews like other candidates so that she was not solely reliant on her impressive record in charge so far (10 wins and one draw in 11 games).
Although sporting director Edu left the club in the early weeks of Slegers’ interim tenure, his remit was always more executive than day-to-day, which meant the responsibility of recruiting Arsenal’s next head coach fell mostly to director of women’s football, Clare Wheatley.
Slegers, contracted until the end of next season, is no…
