Arsenal interim head coach Renee Slegers has said she will remain in post until at least the next international break in December.
This will keep the Dutch coach in post for the next five games at a minimum, including Arsenal’s next two Champions League fixtures against Juventus and the Women’s Super League (WSL) north London Derby against Tottenham on Nov. 8.
“I will be in the interim role for this block, that is what I know. These five games [before the international break], I will be staying in the interim role,” she told a news conference on Friday.
Slegers took charge after former manager Jonas Eidevall stepped down following a disappointing run of results.
Sources told ESPN that the 5-2 humbling by Bayern Munich and 2-1 loss to Chelsea in the WSL at the Emirates caused him to lose the dressing room. Another source added that Eidevall felt the breakdown with fans had gone too far, prompting the Swede to leave his role.
The recruitment process for Eidevall’s replacement is still ongoing, according to ESPN sources, with Arsenal targeting former Manchester City and current New York FC manager Nick Cushing for the position. Cushing led City to their first WSL title in 2016 and steered them to a Champions League semifinal.
The club wanted to give clarity to Slegers over her longevity in the interim as they are in no rush to appoint a replacement, ESPN sources added.
When asked if she would be open to taking a full-time head coach role, Slegers replied: “I definitely see myself doing it at the moment. I enjoy working with the girls at the club and trying to get successes. I have done it before, and I really enjoy the role, but obviously, when you do it for a long time, it becomes different, the work I can do for the team now, I really enjoy.”
Slegers admitted that a change of scene following the international break last week has done her players some good as they aim to shake off a slow start to the season.
Arsenal have only picked up eight points from their first five league games, winning only two of those against Leicester City and West Ham. In the Champions League, they rebounded well from their loss to Bayern Munich with a 4-1 win over Valerenga, though the opening to the campaign has still been a lot slower than the club would have liked.
“It has been a very big block. It was 13 weeks from preseason into block one, it was a very long time together, and I think everyone, myself included, it is nice to change environment, change pace, get new insights and meet new people. It is often good to get change, it is always inspiring and you learn new things,” Slegers said of the extra rest in the international break.
“It was good for everyone. Block one was eventful and long, but if you look at how the players picked it up right before the international window and during the window, that is very positive, and we need to keep that momentum now.”
Arsenal face Manchester United on Sunday in the WSL, marking Slegers’ biggest test so far as United, along with Chelsea, are the only unbeaten sides in the league thus far. Marc Skinner’s side have claimed 10 points from their four games.
“The upcoming block [until the next international break] is short,” Slegers continued. “It’s 21 days and five games. The thing we did well before the break was being in the moment, affecting what we can control now and can we take ownership. We need to keep going with that mindset.”
