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