Jonas Eidevall: My relationship with Arsenal fans was hurting the team

Jonas Eidevall has opened up about his rocky exit from Arsenal after being named new head coach of National Women's Super League (NWSL) side San Diego Wave.

The 41-year-old resigned from his role from the Women's Super League (WSL) club last October, after a run of disappointing results which saw fans calling for his sacking.

Three months on and ahead of Eidevall's move across the pond, he's stood by his resignation claiming it was the "right decision", and also pinpointed the moment he believes fans lost faith in him.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Eidevall revealed: "I think that when we didn't renew [Vivianne] Miedema's contract my relationship at the time with the fans was hurting the team.

"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'm also preaching that to any team. I always preach [that] you have to do what's best for the team."

Arsenal were heavily criticised when they revealed they wouldn't be renewing Miedema's contract, which eventually saw her leave as a free agent. At the time, the now Manchester City forward was the all-time top goalscorer in the WSL, netting a total of 79.

"Sometimes you lose as an individual, but if everyone is committed to always making the best decisions, then everybody will win in the end, and this time it was my decision to take the most difficult decision," added Eidevall.

"I think that was the right decision for me, personally and I think the team has been playing well, so I’m really happy."

A new challenge

Although the Wave had already begun their search for a new head coach, it's understood the club became interested in Eidevall almost immediately after he left Arsenal.

Sporting director and general manager Camille Ashton told Sports Illustrated: "We did a pretty extensive head coach search that started last summer. Jonas was not part of the picture at that point because he was unavailable, but we continued and when things changed, he became an option to us immediately."

Despite only being founded four years ago, the Wave already have quite a chequered history in the world of women's football. Ex-WSL boss Casey Stoney helped write history for the club, leading them to victory in the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup.

However, after a seven-game winless streak she was sacked mid-season, sending shockwaves through the women's game. The Wave went on to finish their 2024 campaign under interim manager Landon Donovan, placing tenth in the league.

But with a new leader at the helm, Eidevall is ready to hit the ground running. "It's visa dependent on when I'm eligible to come over to the U.S, but I'm used to having flexible starts to training," he added.

"When I joined Arsenal, it was during COVID-19 and I was also still in contract with my Swedish club [FC Rosengard]. We can either get results or make excuses, and I definitely prefer results. 

"In the first part of pre-season, it's about building a connection with the players and staff. It's about getting to know them as people and who they are, what's important to them, and what motivates them, so that other players and staff can help them achieve that. 

"That's the process that begins now. It's to build connections, and for me that's the foundation of how much we can challenge and how much we can compete later on in the season. One of the things that really motivates me as a person working in those environments, is getting to know people and getting to understand how I can be a part of helping that person reach their potential. 

"There's no doubt that every person is unique and they have their own journey and that has to be understood."

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