Arsenal have confirmed the appointment of Renee Slegers as their permanent head coach.
Slegers has been in charge on an interim basis since October following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall.
The Women’s Super League side sit third, seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
And after a successful spell, Slegers will be hoping to kick on and restore the Gunners’ dominance in women’s football.
Speaking for the first time as permanent manager, she said: “I’m very happy sitting here now and we together made the decision to move forward like this.
“I’ve just seen what the players have been doing and how we’ve been connecting with staff and club and fans as well. That’s really put into my decision to want the job because obviously when I got thrown into it, it was very sudden, it was very unexpected, and I was here to serve the club, but then under my period as an interim, it started growing.
Here to stay with The Arsenal ❤️
Renée Slegers is officially our permanent head coach. pic.twitter.com/u6j53jBekJ
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) January 17, 2025
“You start to look at longer-term things and you see where we were going as a team and also the connection with the fans.
“I think I’ve mentioned the game against Manchester United where we didn’t get three points, we get one point, but we perform really well and the fans are backing us and supporting us. I think that’s been a critical moment for me as well to see, okay, there’s something we can create here. There’s something positive that we can create. It’s been growing during those months.
“Obviously, [interim head coach] is a role that I’ve never done before, so it’s interesting to see how you take on a role like that when a head coach suddenly leaves.
“I think the next day we had the game against Valerenga so we had to get going straight away. So it’s been a lot of learnings for me, but it has been full of enjoyment. [I’ve tired] to create a light atmosphere where enjoyment, togetherness is a very important to try and empower players, staff, and it’s been interesting. I’ve enjoyed my time in the interim role.”
