Following the news that Jonas Eidevall has resigned from his position as head coach of Arsenal, interim manager Renée Slegers addressed the media in her inaugural press conference in charge of the Gunners.
First speaking in regards to her feelings when hearing the news about Eidevall’s departure, Slegers expressed that she was “shocked” to learn the former Gunners boss would be resigning from his position as head coach.
She continued, “I spoke to him yesterday afternoon and was shocked by the news. I was very sad because he has been a good leader for the staff and I worked with him before in Sweden and we worked really well together, I am very sad it got to this point.”
‘All I feel is respect for him’ praises Slegers on Eidevall
When asked whether much thought when into her decision when approached by the club with the role as interim head coach, Slegers explained “When I got the question yesterday, I felt that if this is how we need to go forward then I am happy to do it. I care about the team, I care about the players. I have been here for a year now and it’s a massive club, so I am happy to help.”
Slegers was then asked on whether she would desire to maintain the role on a long-term basis, and was level-headed when explaining “Right now I just focus on these next two games for us, which are very important for us. The future, I am not so concerned about right now.”
Packing on the praise for her time spent coaching under Eidevall, Slegers said “He told me yesterday and I feel a lot of respect for him, he has been very resilient for a long time. He has been working incredibly hard for a long time so all I feel is respect for him.”
Arsenal ‘going to focus on the task in front of us’ affirms Slegers
Arsenal must now bounce-back from the news of Eidevall’s departure, as the Gunners meet with Valerenga on Wednesday evening on matchday two of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. After falling to a 5-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich last week, the fixture is a glaring must-win for Slegers and her side.
Speaking on how Arsenal will prepare going forward, she said “we have really good staff, we work well together. A lot of things were already prepared behind the scenes. Everything stays the same for players, we only have a task in front of us and that is what we are going to focus on.”
Slegers continued, “I am looking forward to pushing these small margins, I think it has been about small margins recently and that is what I was looking forward to, getting on the right side of that and putting a couple of extra per cent in as a staff and players group and getting things over the line and turned around, that is what I look forward to.”
