Jonas Eidevall: Former Arsenal head coach hopes to make waves in San Diego as he swaps WSL for US NWSL | Football news

The ending was abrupt and not at all how Jonas Eidevall envisioned his departure from Arsenal. The Swedish head coach spent just over three years in north London, after signing a new and improved contract last October, where the ambition was mutually agreed – to return Arsenal to their old glory.

The problem was – and maybe still is – that the club at some point had to stop looking at such ambitions as the future and form intentions in the present.

The plan was always to achieve success after a few Continental Cup trophies (no matter how significant they were at the time), but when? Fans began to tire of the ambiguity of it all, and as a result, the heat was rising on Eidevallo.

Then, when Chelsea returned from the Emirates to west London with three deserved points on a gloomy mid-October day, things reached a boiling point. The impressively large fan base of Eidevall – and the club as a whole – that they have worked tirelessly to cultivate over the years has changed. The Eidevall project was finished.

Speaking ahead of the announcement of a new venture with San Diego Wave in the US, Eidevall is in favor Sky Sports on what prompted him to leave in the middle of a campaign that started with such optimism and what he thinks of the “terrible coach” who stepped into his shoes.

“Personally, I decided before the game with Chelsea that it would be the best decision to step aside,” Eidevall reveals exclusively. “What I saw was a team that was missing only small details, but I saw at that moment that my relationship with the fans was like a cloud hanging over it.

“We had to find a quick way to remove that cloud. It was an incredibly difficult decision for me, because you have a part of you that wants to be a fighter and prove the doubters wrong – that’s what I’ve done my whole career.

“But you have to zoom out and understand what about you and what about the team – what do the players need at this point? I thought the easiest and fastest way to help the players perform was to remove that cloud, and did I step away.”

While the decision seemed sudden from the outside, Eidevall sensed a change in tone long ago. It is too easy to attribute the turning point to one isolated event, but a definitive shift occurred when Arsenal allowed the WSL’s all-time leading goalscorer Vivianne Miedema to leave on a free transfer last summer.

“It was evident that I lost a good part of my relationship with the fans when we decided not to renew Miedema’s contract,” Eidevall reflects. “All in all, it was a decision that hit me hard, but that’s life sometimes.”

What didn’t help Eidevall’s case was where Miedema ended up. Not only did one of the most feared strikers in the women’s game leave Arsenal for free, she joined direct WSL rivals Manchester City, further strengthening their cause at a time when the Gunners’ claim to WSL silverware seemed more distant than ever.

“Did I think there would be so much noise about that decision? I didn’t,” he continues. “But at that time – and this is where people sometimes don’t get the full picture – we had the opportunity to bring in Marion Caldentey from Barcelona, ​​or we could have tried to keep Miedema. Getting both, from a budgetary perspective, was never possible.

“I was in a situation where I couldn’t talk about these 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 making difficult economic decisions and it was never looked at in that light. We had to choose and set priorities and that’s the reality.”

However, after the ‘zooming’, Eidevall looks back 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 has been part of a hugely positive culture change at the club. Arsenal have become the envy of the WSL due to the crowds they attract and the loyalty of such a rich fan base, seamlessly transitioning to their newly named Emirates Stadium.

Their commercial power, 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 amazing time to be part of the club. To see the power of having a club so invested, from a sporting perspective, but also from a commercial perspective, and understanding that the growth of the team is not possible without cooperation.

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

Eidevall’s Arsenal era naturally coincided with a special force on the pitch: Emma Hayes’ Chelsea. Many coaches have stood up to Hayes and lost, but Eidevall boasts back-to-back cup final wins – the latter sparking a ‘pushing incident’ that has created an air of coolness ever since.

But with Hayes now the head coach of the US national team, will that soon change?

“We didn’t send each other any Christmas wishes,” Eidevall says with a warm smile. “I had players at Arsenal who played for Emma, ​​but it was always her assistant who reached out. The player’s interest is at the heart. We haven’t been in any contact since March last year, but I have no complaints.”

Looking ahead, the 41-year-old is excited about what the future holds in a new country, working in a league with untold possibilities. “It’s a very competitive league with a lot of investment and growth, with its own stadiums and facilities. Those two things make it very exciting for me. It’s a development that we don’t see in Europe right now and that’s the key difference.”

But Eidevall is still keeping a close eye on his former club’s progress and is enjoying the success of Renee Slegers, who has won 10 of her 11 games with the interim side, including progressing to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Arsenal have jumped to third in the WSL table and are unbeaten since Eidevallo’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 skilled team. The players took on a lot of responsibility on the pitch with Renee’s leadership – they had very strong performances.”

Slegers still hasn’t been given a permanent role, but she deserves her chance, according to Eidevall.

“From what I know, the work they’ve done, I don’t think any change is necessary. I know Renee personally and as talented as she is, I would absolutely support her for the job.

“Arsenal has the best depth, if you compare those three clubs [at the top of the WSL]. This is a team that is built to compete in all four competitions and this spring will be a testament to that.”

The WSL returns to Sky Sports is shown on Friday, January 17 when Liverpool host Brighton; beginning at 7 p.m