Jonas Eidevall: Arsenal head coach agrees new long-term deal with club

Jonas Eidevall joined Arsenal from FC Rosengard in 2021

Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The Swede, who joined Arsenal in 2021, has led the Gunners to consecutive top-three finishes in the Women's Super League.

BBC Sport understands Eidevall has agreed a three-year extension with Arsenal, who were knocked out of the Champions League last month.

"This is a special place with a special group of players," he said.

Eidevall led the Gunners to the Champions League semi-finals last season, and they lifted the Continental League Cup with victory against Chelsea in the final.

The 40-year-old was backed in the summer transfer market, signing England striker Alessia Russo and Spain World Cup winner Laia Codina.

Despite the disappointment of the Champions League exit to Paris FC and defeat against Liverpool on the opening weekend of the WSL, Eidevall believes the club is moving in the right direction.

"We've made great progress on and off the pitch over the last couple of years and we are all working hard to continue that growth every single day," he added.

"Our ambition is to be competing for the highest honours in women's football consistently and we all believe we are capable of achieving that."

Analysis

Emma Sanders, BBC Sport

Eidevall's time at Arsenal has been successful given he guided them to a first trophy in four years with the Continental Cup last season.

His side finished WSL runners-up in his first campaign in England and they impressively reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2023 despite being severely hit by injuries.

He has also been able to attract some top European talent to the club and a number of Arsenal's best players have renewed contracts under his management in recent seasons.

However, the timing of the announcement is intriguing given Arsenal have had a poor start to this season - losing their WSL opener at home to Liverpool after a shock defeat in the Champions League qualifying rounds.

This is a strong show of support from Arsenal, who have not been shy of their intention to build for the future under Eidevall and have seen improvements on and off the pitch while he has been at the club.

But there is growing pressure on Eidevall to deliver this season given investment in the transfer market. While this new deal emphasises the backing of the club's board, fans' expectations remain very high.