England boss Sarina Wiegman says she was “a little bit flabbergasted” by the news that Arsenal Women head coach Jonas Eidevall has resigned.
Eidevall stepped down on Tuesday morning after a poor start to the season had left Arsenal sitting sixth in the Women’s Super League (WSL) table.
The Gunners had won just one of their four league games so far this season and they were also thumped 5-2 by Bayern Munich in their Champions League group stage opener last week.
Eidevall had been with Arsenal since 2021, winning the League Cup twice, and Lionesses coach Wiegman has admitted she was surprised to see him go.
“I just heard it, to be honest I was a little bit in shock. I didn't expect that,” Wiegman said.
“Of course that’s really sad. I had a good working relationship with him. I was a little bit flabbergasted to be honest.”
Eidevall had been under pressure going into Saturday’s WSL game against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.
The 2-1 defeat only cranked up the scrutiny on him, with a wall near the ground having the words “Jonas out” graffitied on them.
Wiegman believes the level of pressure and discussion around managers’ positions is a sign of how the women’s game is evolving, with fans on social media also turning on Eidevall.
“The game is growing so much, and is visible so much, and with a few clubs in the Champions League, it is getting bigger and bigger,” she said.
“So you see that coming too, that's also become part of the game, and unfortunately this is a negative one. Lots of things are very positive, but also some negative things are coming with that too.”
