Former Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall has opened up on his departure from the north London side towards the end of last year.
He had been the club’s manager since joining in 2021, winning the League Cup twice in his three-year stint.
But it did not end well for the coach, following fans’ calls for his resignation in October, and he’s now spoken for the first time about that exit.
Jonas Eidevall claims relationship with fans was ‘hurting’ Arsenal
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Eidevall said: “I thought [leaving] was the easiest quick fix for the team to be able to perform again. That was an incredibly difficult personal decision for me to walk away from, but sometimes you have to do that when it’s what you think is best for the team.
“I think that was the right decision for me, personally, and I think the team has been playing well, so I’m really happy.”
The Swedish coach felt that his relationship with the fans, who had been asking for his sacking prior to the departure, had begun affecting results on the pitch, and he feels he knows when supporter sentiment turned against him.
“I think that when we didn’t renew [Vivianne] Miedema’s contract my relationship at the time with the fans was hurting the team,” he claimed.
In another interview with Sky Sports, Eidevall says he had to choose between retaining Miedema — the WSL’s all-time leading goalscorer — or signing Mariona Caldentey from Barcelona. He opted for the latter, Miedema moved to league rivals Manchester City and the Gunners faithful were not happy, to put it lightly.
Renee Slegers has stepped into the vacant position on an interim basis, with Arsenal currently sat in third in the WSL table on the back of four wins, while Eidevall has moved Stateside to take charge of NWSL outfit San Diego Wave.
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Eidevall took a refreshingly mature and sober decision in the face of adversity at the Emirates Stadium.
He had taken a gamble in the transfer market which didn’t pay off with the fans and, ultimately, paid the price. His stepping aside allows both Arsenal and his own career to move forward, beyond an issue that was unlikely to ever be resolved between Eidevall and the fans.