When the Gooner Fanzine reported that Renee Slegers had extended her contract as Arsenal assistant coach for two more years in May 2024, a handful of fans joked on social media that Slegers was being primed to replace Jonas Eidevall if the Gunners’ fortunes failed to improve.

In October, Slegers did so on an interim basis, Eidevall resigning after a bruising start to the season that saw the Gunners win one of their first four Women’s Super League games, as well as a heavy defeat away to Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

Come January 17, 2024 and three-months without defeat in all competitions Slegers has put pen to paper on a permanent basis following a “thorough recruitment process,” in Director of Women’s Football Clare Wheatley’s words.

Slegers had worked with, and replaced, Jonas Eidevall before, taking over from the Swede at FC Rosengard when he joined the Gunners as head coach in 2021. 

She won back-to-back league titles, finishing ten points clear of BK Hacken in her first season and beating the same opposition to the title again by seven points in 2022. Slegers had previously managed Rosengard’s B team, so is no stranger to working her way up through the ranks to the top job.

Rewinding all the way back to 2006, Slegers’ relationship with Arsenal began as a 17-year-old. After starting her youth career with local side Someren in the Southern Netherlands, Slegers spent a year on Arsenal’s books, making one senior appearance from the bench against West Ham in a cup game.

She has fond memories of learning sports psychology from Alex Scott and being coached by Kelly Smith. 

Now, Slegers is in charge of the Gunners’ senior side, with Smith part of her coaching staff.

Returning to the Netherlands in 2007 with Willem II, Slegers kicked off her senior career in the midfield of the Dutch side, before moving to Swedish outfit Djurgardens IF in 2011. She netted four goals in 33 games for the Stockholm-based side, who were relegated in her sole season at the club.

Slegers would then link up with current Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius during a four-season spell with fellow Damallsvenskan side Linkopings. Both would claim the league title in 2016 as well as two Swedish cups. A move to Montpellier followed for Blackstenius, but Slegers’ career ended prematurely.

In November 2016, Slegers made her 55th and final appearance for the Netherlands in a 1-0 defeat to England (goalscorer: former Arsenal player and current Football Services Executive Jodie Taylor), with a serious knee injury suffered nine minutes into the friendly ruling her out of Euro 2017, and eventually putting an end to her career.

Slegers was close to returning to football, and spoke to clubs in the Netherlands and Sweden about playing on, but announced her retirement in February 2018 at the age of 29. 

The Dutchwoman then returned to Sweden to pursue a coaching course, starting out in Malmo with IF Linhamn Bunkeflo, again progressing from leading their under-19s to then being in charge of the senior side. Three years later, she spent three months with Sweden under-23s before then joining Rosengard.

In all of her coaching positions, Slegers has never been parachuted into the top role. Whether it’s plying her trade with a youth team, B team or as an assistant coach, Slegers has worked her way up, earning respect from teammates and coaches alike. 

Her experiences as a former player have clearly served her well at Arsenal, both as a coach specialising in player development and then interim manager. Slegers often cuts a relaxed figure in warm-ups, practicing her keepy-ups or pinging a ball around with her coaches.

She understands what players are looking for, and this obvious empathy and clarity of thinking was vital following the turmoil of Eidevall’s departure.

Arsenal have elected the popular candidate, with supporters almost unanimous in their support for Slegers by the end of her interim tenure. Would she ever have dreamed of this as a 17-year-old at London Colney?