Eidevall Wishes Miedema Well As Arsenal Prepares For New WSL Season

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Jonas Eidevall extended his best wishes to former Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema following her transfer to Manchester City. As the Gunners gear up for the new Women's Super League (WSL) season, they face the challenge of moving forward without their all-time leading scorer. Miedema left Arsenal after scoring 80 goals in 106 appearances over seven years.

Miedema's impact on the WSL is significant. She holds records for most shots (452), efforts on target (198), touches in the opposition box (816), and goals from inside the area (70). Only Bethany England has converted more big chances than Miedema, with 48 compared to Miedema's 44. Additionally, she has provided 35 assists during her time in the league.

Ironically, Miedema's first WSL match for Manchester City will be against Arsenal on September 22. This game comes just two days after the new season kicks off on September 20. Eidevall is now focused on preparing his current squad for this upcoming campaign.

Speaking at the Barclays WSL's 2024-25 season launch Media Day, Eidevall reflected on Miedema's contributions: "Of course, Vivianne Miedema has had a really good history at Arsenal, some really good contributions to the club. Then, you come to a point where you need to say, what does the squad need here now for the next season? We prioritise these players that we now have in the squad."

Eidevall continued by expressing optimism about Miedema's future: "[We] wish Viv all the best. I think she's going to have a really good and successful season with Manchester City, but we're really happy and content with the squad that we have."

Aiming for Consistency

Arsenal aims to improve upon last season's third-place finish. Eidevall emphasised the need for consistent high-quality performances: "We need to keep our highs that we had last season," he said. "I think we showed - both with performances and results against the teams that were finishing at the top of the league - that we were a really good football team."

However, he acknowledged that consistency was lacking: "But we lacked the consistency. So, we need to keep our highs, but we need to raise our lows from last season. That's not easy, but if we can do that, then we can be winning."

The upcoming WSL season presents an opportunity for Arsenal to build on their strengths while addressing past inconsistencies. With a focus on their current squad and a commitment to improving performance levels across all matches, Eidevall and his team are poised for a competitive campaign.