Ex-Arsenal boss Eidevall had to choose between Miedema and Caldentey

Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has said that he had to choose between signing Mariona Caldentey or extending Vivianne Miedema’s contract due to the club’s finances.

Eidevall left the Women’s Super League club last October and was named the head coach of NWSL side San Diego Wave this week.

The 41-year-old Swedish tactician admitted that budget restrictions at Arsenal meant he had to pick between the two players and that the departure of Miedema ultimately led to the breakdown of his relationship with the supporters.

WSL record goalscorer Miedema left Arsenal in the summer and joined title rivals Manchester City as a free agent while the Gunners signed Caldentey from Barcelona.

“You have a limited budget that you have to deal with, and we had the opportunity to sign Caldentey or extend Miedema’s contract,” Eidevall told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

“Then you have to choose. But it’s not a decision that you later stand at a press conference and talk about and say: ‘We had to choose between two players.’ The reality is we couldn’t afford both.

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“Then I have to make a decision about what I think is best for the club.”

Eidevall’s Arsenal won just one of their opening four games of the season before he resigned from the club where he had won two Women’s League Cup titles.

“I think that when we didn’t renew 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,” he told Sports Illustrated.

Miedema scored 125 goals in 172 appearances across all competitions during her seven-season stay at Arsenal.

“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,” Eidevall said.

“I feel that there was a cloud hanging over us. If it had just been hanging over me, then I would have been fine. No worries. But if it becomes a narrative that affects the team, then the team’s performance in the autumn will not benefit.”

Arsenal have enjoyed a resurgence since Eidevall’s departure and are currently third in the WSL table, having won 10 and drawn one of their past 11 matches under interim boss Renee Slegers.