Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall said the departure of club icon Vivianne Miedema in July was the main reason for resignation in Octobersaying the situation created a rift with fans who had no “quick fix” and “clouded” the new season.
After joining in 2017, Women’s Super League (WSL) goalscorer Miedema scored 125 goals and 50 assists in 172 appearances for the Gunners – and Eidevall, who arrived in 2021 after leaving Swedish side Rosengard, said he faced a financial decision between keeping the 28-year-old at the club or signing the Spanish striker who has won the World Cup, Mariona Caldentey.
“My relationship with the supporters was so bad after we let Vivianne Miedema go that there was no quick fix,” Eidevall told the Swedish outlet. The evening paper.
“You have a tight budget to deal with and we had the opportunity to sign Mariona Caldentey or extend Vivianne Miedema’s contract.
“But it’s not a decision to stand up later in a press conference and talk and say ‘we had to choose between two players.’ The reality is we couldn’t afford both. Then I have to make a decision about what I think is best for the club.”
🗣️ “I think sometimes people don’t connect the dots”
Jonas Eidevall discusses his relationship with Vivianne Miedema when he was Arsenal boss 🔴 pic.twitter.com/catmjD6vMM
— Sky Sports WSL (@SkySportsWSL) January 7, 2025
“No problem” with Miedema, Eidevall says
Miedema won the 2018/19 WSL and three League Cup titles with Arsenal, but missed a year of football in total from December 2019 to the end of last season due to knee injuries.
The Dutch all-time top scorer has since joined Manchester City, scoring against Eindhoven’s Arsenal in September, before suffering another knee problem that kept her out until early October.
“I usually think I’m good at predicting the consequences of a decision, but I have to be honest in saying that I didn’t see that, in this case,” said Eidevall, whose The appointment as head coach of National Women’s Super League team the San Diego Wave was announced on Tuesday.
New Wave manager Jonas Eidevall saw Arsenal fans anger him in 2024, leading him to resign in October after their slow start.
I asked what the lesson was from this experience. He discussed the importance of transparency, something he hopes to bring to his supporters in San Diego. pic.twitter.com/d7hpxi0OKc
— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) January 8, 2025
“There was a cloud hanging over us. If it hung above me, I’d be fine – don’t worry. But if a narrative is made that affects the team, then the team’s performance in the fall will not benefit.
“But I still would have made the same decision. I am convinced that Caldentey will continue to be a great asset to Arsenal.
“I have never had any problems with Miedema. She is a strong personality and will always speak her mind, which is like me, as a person. It was a decision that was made on clean sports grounds.”
“We had to find a way to get rid of the cloud and the easiest way was to leave. It’s probably very unusual in this industry to go it alone.”
THE EIDEVALL SEASON HAS ARRIVED 🌊 pic.twitter.com/4EqWinJGqu
— San Diego Wave FC (@sandiegowavefc) January 7, 2025
Eidevall backs Arsenal successor Slegers
Caldentry has one goal and one assist in nine WSL games and has scored five times in 10 Champions League games in 2024/25.
The former Barcelona regular contributed to an 11-game unbeaten run under caretaker manager Rene Schlegers, who became Eideval’s assistant in September 2023.
“I see Renee as a great leader,” Eidevall said. “(He has) a good base of values and strong football knowledge. It makes me very happy to see the good results and performances that she, the team and the coaching staff have put together and I really hope to see the possibility of them being allowed to continue. I think that would be the best.
“Looking at other coaches coming into the league, would they have more experience than Rene? He managed Rosengard for two years, coached the national under-23 team for Sweden, scouted for the Dutch and Swedish national teams (and was in the Swedish team) LB07 before that and led them through an extremely difficult season. It’s sloppy to say he wouldn’t have a lot of experience.”
The Gunners are in FANTASTIC form under Renée Slegers 🤩#BarclaysWSL @ArsenalWFC pic.twitter.com/Y0tYFjiMwA
— Barclays Women’s Super League (@BarclaysWSL) January 8, 2025
Arsenal is “draining” for Eideval
Arsenal lost two of their first five Champions League games of the season and won one of their four league games before Eidevall’s departure, including a 2-1 home defeat to familiar title rivals Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium in their last WSL game .
“What I missed the most … was finding the balance between where I could put my energy,” the 41-year-old said. “We had 37 employees when I left and 27 or 28 players in the squad.
“One of the things that I found draining – and one of the pieces in my decision to leave – was the lack of a sporting director to work with.
“I almost thought it was overwhelming to handle so many people on a daily basis. I barely talked to anyone, it was because I had an agenda. I had zero conversations that were just “how are you?”. It created a small gap for me.”
