Arsenal have confirmed the appointment of Renee Slegers as permanent head coach.
Slegers has been on temporary duty since October following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall.
The Women’s Superliga is third, seven points behind leaders Chelsea.
And after a successful spell, Slegers will be hoping to move on and restore the Gunners’ dominance in women’s football.
Speaking for the first time as permanent manager, she said: “I am very happy to be sitting here now and together we have made the decision to move forward like this.
“I’ve just seen what the players are doing and how we’re connecting with the staff, the club and the fans. That really influenced my decision to want the job because obviously when I was thrown into it, it was very sudden, it was very unexpected, and I was here to serve the club, but then during my spell as a temporary player it started to grow
Here to stay with Arsenal ❤️
Renée Slegers is officially our permanent head coach. pic.twitter.com/u6j53jBekJ
— Arsenal Women (@ArsenalWFC) January 17, 2025
“You start looking at the longer-term things and see where we’ve gone as a team and the connection with the fans.
“I think I mentioned the game against Manchester United where we didn’t get three points, we got one point, but we are playing very well and the fans are supporting us and supporting us. I think that was a critical moment for me to see, okay, there’s something we can create here. There is something positive we can create. It grows during those months.
“Obviously, [interim head coach] is a role I’ve never done before, so it’s interesting to see you take on a role like that when the head coach suddenly leaves.
“I think the next day we had a game against Valerenga so we had to start right away. So it was a lot of learning for me, but it was also a lot of fun. [I’ve tired] to create a light atmosphere where enjoyment, togetherness is very important to try to empower players, staff, and it was interesting. I have enjoyed my time in the interim role.”
