Arsenal have confirmed the appointment of Renée Slegers as permanent head coach.
Slegers has been acting since October, following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall.
The Women’s Super League side sit in third place, seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
And after a successful spell, Slegers hopes to revive and restore the Gunners’ dominance in women’s football.
Speaking for the first time as a permanent manager, she said: “I’m very happy to be here now and we’ve made the decision together to move forward like this.
“I just saw what the players did and how we connected with the staff, the club and the fans. That really influenced my decision to want this job, because obviously when I was thrown into this position, it was very sudden, it was very unexpected, and I was here to serve the club, but then, during my interim period, it started to gain momentum.
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 looking at things longer term and you see where we were going as a team and also the connection with the fans.
“I think I mentioned the game against Manchester United where we didn’t score three points, we scored one, but we are playing very well and the fans are supporting us and supporting us. I think it was a critical moment for me too to see, okay, there is something we can create here There is something positive we can create It has increased over these months.
“Obviously, [interim head coach] It’s a role I’ve never played before, so it’s interesting 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 go straight away. So it brought me a lot of learning, but it was very enjoyable. [I’ve tired] create a light atmosphere where fun and conviviality are very important to try to empower the players, the staff, and that has been interesting. I enjoyed my time in the interim role.
