The rivalry between Emma Hayes and Jonas Eidevall has ebbed and flowed. Their first meeting after the Swede’s arrival in north London in 2021 saw an unimpressed Hayes looking on as Eidevall wildly celebrated Arsenal’s 3-2 opening day defeat of Chelsea at the Emirates.
The image of Eidevall sinking to his knees, fists clenched and mouth wide, has somewhat haunted him since the manager’s admission of his black cat superstition led to Hayes’s cheeky reply that her side had “purred” during their 3-0 FA Cup final triumph in December 2021.
