Arsenal head coach Renée Slegers spoke to the media on Friday afternoon prior to Arsenal’s trip to face Manchester City in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Sunday. Arsenal go into the match a point behind the hosts and now ten behind champions Chelsea.
There was plenty to talk about with a busy transfer window having slammed shut on Thursday night and Arsenal completing a couple of major deals. The Halfway Line got the chance to speak with Slegers ahead of that crucial clash at the Joie Stadium.
Slegers lauds ‘very motivated’ deadline day signing Chloe Kelly
In what was a frantic and all action deadline day, perhaps the story of day came as it was dramatically revealed that the wantaway Manchester City winger Chloe Kelly suddenly appeared to be North London bound. Before the deadline it was confirmed that Kelly would return to her childhood club on loan till the end of the season. Slegers was asked about Kelly arriving at Arsenal, she responded: “I’m gonna have a sit down with Chloe this afternoon but it will mostly be about us and her and how that’s gonna work, and what our processes are like from a daily basis.”
When asked whether she felt that Kelly was the perfect fit for Arsenal right now Slegers noted, “Yeah, I think so. And obviously she’s been at the club before, so she understands what Arsenal is. She understands the history of the club. She knows girls and staff members from before. So I think that’s important as well that there’s a link to the culture and what we want to do as a group and what we are part of. So that’s very important. And yeah, I think I’ve said it before, but I think when you enjoy what you’re doing, you get more out of yourself. And from speaking to Chloe, she’s very motivated, and that’s what she what she wants. So I think she’ll bring us something.”
On how Kelly was identified as a target Slegers responded: “We won’t share the processes with the outside world, but she’s been on the list of the people [we want], working with future planning.”
Jenna Nighswonger and Arsenal ‘a great fit’ says Slegers
Kelly of course was not the only deadline day signing to join Arsenal on Thursday, earlier in the day Arsenal had confirmed that Jenna Nighswonger had joined the club from NJ/NY Gotham. The gold medal winner is quite the coup for Arsenal, predominantly a left back Nighswonger played in both the 8 and the 10 at collegiate level and the subject of her versatility was put to Slegers, she replied: “Jenna is a left back but she can play in other positions as well. And that’s why, because Steph [Catley] has been playing a lot in the centre back position, we wanted to get another left back in and I think Jenna is great fit for us.”
Slegers continued, “the versatility of players, we think is important that you can use them in different ways. So even if you’re starting in the left back position, you are able to play different roles for the team within your position.”
‘Successful’ surgery for captain Kim Little confirms Slegers
With a double header against Manchester City swiftly approaching Slegers will be keen to have every player available for the task ahead of Arsenal. However question marks remained over captain Kim Little’s fitness after she was missing from the squad in mid-week with the same true of Arsenal’s dynamic winger Caitlin Foord. Slegers cleared up any confusion on her captain’s fitness, she reported: “Yeah, so Kim little had to do surgery on her hand. She broke a finger against Crystal Palace. She pushed through two games, but for for long term health, she needs to, needs to do that. So she did that, and surgery was successful.”
On Little’s Australian team-mate there was less clarity from Slegers, who reported: “Caitlin, we’ll see it’s still a question mark. She’s recovering well.”
Only ‘100 percent concentrated’ Arsenal defence can stop Miedema says Slegers
This weekend the top scorer in WSL history who scored most of that record breaking tally for Arsenal, will line up against them in the form of Manchester City’s Viviane Miedema. The Halfway Line asked Slegers about coming up against her compatriot and just how you solve a problem like Miedema, she replied:
“We play against a lot of quality players in this league and Viv is definitely one of them. She’s got high quality in certain things she does but the girls know her very well, so they have an idea and a plan to defend against her in the best way.”
Slegers continued, “But then always, you can have a plan or an idea but then reality happens. I think what she does really well is obviously finding spaces in the box to score. And so we’ll have to be 100% concentrated when we defend our box on Sunday.”
