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Jonas Eidevall: Ex-Arsenal head coach hoping to make waves in San Diego as he swaps WSL for America's NWSL

Former Arsenal Women boss Jonas Eidevall speaks exclusively to Sky Sports about his difficult Gunners exit and what drove him to leave, as the Swedish coach takes up a role in the NWSL with San Diego Wave; the WSL returns to Sky Sports screens on January 17

By Laura Hunter

Wednesday 8 January 2025 07:42, UK

The ending was abrupt and not at all how Jonas Eidevall envisaged walking out of Arsenal. The Swedish head coach had spent just over three years in north London, having signed a new and improved contract last October, where the ambition was mutually agreed - restore Arsenal back to its former glory.

Problem was - and perhaps still is - that at some point the club had to stop viewing such ambition as the future and frame intentions in the present day.

The plan was always to deliver success beyond a couple of Continental Cup trophies (as significant as they were at the time), but when? Fans began to grow tired with the ambiguity of it all and heat on Eidevall grew as a result.

Then, as Chelsea headed back from the Emirates to west London with three deserved points on a gloomy day in mid-October, things reached boiling point. The impressively large fanbase Eidevall - and the club as a whole - had worked tirelessly to cultivate over a number of years had turned.

The Eidevall project was over.

Speaking on the eve of an announcement about a new venture with San Diego Wave in the US, Eidevall told Sky Sports about what drove him to leave midway through a campaign that began with such optimism, and what he makes of the "tremendous coach" that stepped into his shoes.

"I had decided personally before that Chelsea game that it would be the best decision for me to step away," Eidevall exclusively reveals. "What I saw was a team that was only missing small details, but I saw at that moment my relationship with the supporters was like a cloud hanging over.

"We needed to find a quick way to remove that cloud. It was an incredibly difficult decision for me to take, because you have a part of you that wants to be a fighter and prove doubters wrong - that's what I've been doing my whole career.

"But you have to zoom out, and understand what is about you, and what's about the team - what do the players need in this moment? I thought the easiest and quickest way to help the players perform was to remove that cloud, and that was me stepping away."

While the decision felt abrupt from the outside, Eidevall had sensed a change of tone long before. It's too simplistic to attribute the turning point to one isolated event, but a definite shift happened when Arsenal allowed the WSL's all-time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema to leave on a free transfer last summer.

"It was evident I lost quite a lot of my relationship with the supporters when we decided not to renew Miedema's contract," Eidevall reflects. "All in all, it was a decision that played hard on me but that's life sometimes."

What did not help Eidevall's case was where Miedema ended up. Not only had one of the most fearsome strikers in the women's game left Arsenal for free, she joined Manchester City, a direct WSL rival, further strengthening their cause at a time where the Gunners' claim on WSL silverware felt as distant as ever.

"Did I think it was going to be that much noise over that decision? I didn't," he continues. "But at the time - and this is where people sometimes don't get the full picture - we had the opportunity to bring in Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona, or we could try to keep Miedema. To get both, from a budget perspective, was never possible.

"I was in a situation where I couldn't really talk about those things [Miedema's contract], and that becomes problematic. People viewed the decision in isolation, but it was never an isolated decision.

"Arsenal wants and needs to be successful in a sustainable way, which also means taking tough economic decisions and it was never viewed under that lens. We had to choose and prioritise and that's the reality."

Still, having 'zoomed out', Eidevall reflects on his time at Arsenal with great pride and rightly so. While there may have been more significant wins off the pitch than on it, the Swedish coach was part of a hugely positive culture shift at the club.

Arsenal have become the envy of the WSL with the crowds they attract and the loyalty of such a rich fanbase, transitioning seamlessly to their newly appointed Emirates Stadium home.

Their commercial might, despite not winning the WSL since 2019, is at an all-time high, and Eidevall himself remains a driver of growth in the women's game more broadly.

"It was an incredible time to be a part of the club. To see the power of having a club so fully invested, from a sporting perspective, but also from a commercial perspective, and understanding that growing a team is not done without cooperation.

"During my time we developed into a team that was very competitive against the best teams, we reached the semi-final of the Champions League and beat Chelsea in two finals. That part was important for progress, and I had the privilege of doing that at a time where we grew from an average attendance of 1,500 to 35,000 - that was special."

Eidevall's Arsenal era of course coincided with a particular force on the pitch: Emma Hayes' Chelsea. Many coaches have come up against Hayes and lost, but Eidevall can boast back-to-back cup final wins - the latter prompting the 'shove incident' that has made for a touch of frostiness ever since.

But with Hayes now the head coach of the US national team, is that going to change any time soon?

"We haven't sent each other any Christmas wishes," Eidevall says with a warm smile. "I had players at Arsenal that played for Emma but it was always her assistant that reached out. It's the players' interest that's in the centre. We haven't been in any contact since March last year, but I don't hold any grudges."

Hayes: I will always love Chelsea but time was right to leave

Looking ahead, the 41-year-old is excited for what the future holds in a new country, working in a league with untold opportunity. "It's a very competitive league with a lot of investment and growth, with owned stadiums and facilities. Those two things make it very exciting for me. It's development that we don't see in Europe at the moment and that's the key difference."

But Eidevall still has a watchful eye on his former club's progress, and is enjoying the success of Renee Slegers, who has won 10 of her 11 games in interim charge, including progress to the knockout phase of the Champions League.

Arsenal have leaped into third in the WSL table and are unbeaten since Eidevall's departure.

"Renee has done a tremendous job, I'm not surprised. She's a very good coach and let's not forget the rest of the technical staff. It's a very skilful team. The players have taken a lot of responsibility on the pitch with Renee's guidance - they have had very strong performances."

Slegers is yet to be awarded the role permanently, but she has earned her shot believes Eidevall.

"From what I know, the work they have been doing, I don't think any change is needed. Me knowing Renee personally, and how talented she is, I would absolutely back her for the job.

"Arsenal have the best depth, if you compare the three clubs [at the top of the WSL]. It's a squad that is built for competing in all four competitions and this spring is going to be the proof of that."

The WSL returns to Sky Sports screens on Friday, January 17 as Liverpool host Brighton; kick-off 7pm