Latest news with #ReneeSlegers
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Arsenal confirm talks to sign loanee forward permanently
Arsenal have confirmed talks are ongoing to keep Chloe Kelly at the club beyond the end of her loan from Manchester City, with her current deal there set to expire on 30 June. The winger, who returned to north London in January, has spoken openly about how the move reignited her passion for the game. Photo byChloe Kelly's second stint at Arsenal may yet become permanent, with the club confirming they are in discussions to sign the winger following the expiry of her loan deal from Manchester City. Advertisement The 27-year-old's contract with City also runs out at the end of June, paving the way for a free transfer should an agreement be reached. Kelly's return to north London in January transformed both her season and, by her own admission, her state of mind. After struggling at City, the forward said her loan move 'helped me rediscover happiness' and spoke emotionally of how Renee Slegers and the Arsenal environment reignited her love for football. 'As soon as I stepped foot in this club, I found happiness,' she told reporters after starting the Champions League final in Lisbon, where Arsenal defeated Barcelona 1-0. 'Renee Slegers, as soon as she got on the phone to me, to give me the opportunity to represent this badge, I wanted to repay her. From being in such a dark place to now, it's crazy.' Photo byArsenal's newly released retention list states confirms that 'discussions are ongoing' with Kelly. Advertisement While Arsenal are keen to keep her, Kelly herself has stopped short of committing publicly. 'Look, if it's my last game for the club, I'll forever be grateful,' she said. 'I know I've given my all to Arsenal Football Club and Arsenal Football Club has given their all to me. They gave me an opportunity to step foot on the pitch and find happiness. It's not about football at times. No matter what happened today, the club gave me happiness. 'No, I was ready to take a break from football completely,' she admitted. 'I'm just grateful.' Her comments underscore the broader culture cultivated so quickly at Arsenal under Slegers, and how far the club has come in rebuilding its identity since Jonas Eidevall departed. Advertisement Kelly's goal in her first game back – a 5-0 rout of Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates – set the tone for a run-in that culminated in European glory. Yet it was the bond with teammates and supporters that made the difference. Photo by'I love them, they're flipping amazing,' she said of the fans. 'Whether at the Emirates, whether here in Lisbon, Villa Park when things weren't going to plan. They know exactly what we want and they're on that journey with us. They're the best fans that I've ever played in front of.' Kelly also reflected on the personal journey that brought her back, recalling the early years in the Arsenal academy, where she trained with Lotte Wubben-Moy, Leah Williamson, and others who have since become the spine of the team. Advertisement 'I was speaking to Lotte on the pitch after the game,' Kelly said. 'Me and Lotte used to get the underground to Finsbury Park, Finsbury Park to Potters Bar. Potters Bar, we used to get off and get a bus and get off at the M25 bridge and walk to the training ground. Looking back, it's been a journey. To do it with these girls is so good. Players that I've played with growing up, Leah, when I joined Arsenal when I was 12, it's amazing.' With Kelly now approaching the peak years of her career, any permanent deal would be a massive boost for Arsenal. Whether Kelly stays or goes, her impact this season has already proved profound. But Arsenal believe the story is not yet finished – and they are doing all they can to make sure it continues.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Celebrate Arsenal and Chelsea wins with Women's Football News
The June 2025 Edition of Women's Football News is available now as we bring you features and interviews from around the women's game. The June 2025 edition of Women's Football News is now available as we bring you all for the latest news and reaction from the Women's game. It will of course look back on a night to remember for Arsenal as they were crowned European Champions. The Gunners stunned Barcelona to win the Champions League final in Lisbon. We have reaction from captain Kim Little, boss Renee Slegers as well as Lionesses stars Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo on Arsenal's victory. There is also a poster to keep to remember the achievement. Across London, Chelsea are also celebrating having completed an unbeaten domestic treble by lifting the WSL title, the FA Cup and the League Cup. We take a look back their remarkable season with a big interview with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, while there is also reaction from Millie Bright and manager Sonia Bompastor - who lays down a challenge to the rest of the WSL. And the top flight will have another club from the capital next season following the promotion of the ambitious London City Lionesses. Owner Michele Kang tells us that 'anything is possible' for the club in the coming years. We name our WSL team of the season and - along with our regular features including round-ups of the top-flight and Championship seasons, all the latest news around women's football, National League specials and our grassroots spotlight - we have an exclusive interview with Scotland international Claire Emslie on her life in LA playing for Angel City. And to round it all off, we preview the Lionesses' Nations League games as we count down to this summer's European Championship in Switzerland.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How Champions League winners Arsenal benefited from top coaching and a tight league table
As Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers reminded veteran striker Beth Mead, the substitutes's assignment when she entered the fray in the 68th minute had been simple. 'I was like, 'I told you, pass Stina (Blackstenius). Give the ball to Stina and she will score,'' recalled Slegers as confetti streaked across the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, Portugal, with the north London club having secured its first Champions League title in 18 years courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Barcelona. Advertisement The 36-year-old is the first Dutch manager ever to win a women's Champions League title. It is never quite as easy as a joke made in the afterglow of an historic success might suggest, but who wouldn't indulge in a haughty celebration? Mead's pass sliced through a Barcelona back line that had withstood the pressures of Chloe Kelly and Caitlin Foord for most of the match, but was now vulnerable from center-back Irene Paredes' yellow card, and found Blackstenius and her own line-breaking pace. You don't need fresh legs in order to execute that plan, but they certainly help. That Mead and Blackstenius combined on the game-winning goal could make that substitution one of the most important in Arsenal's history. And while good coaching, the factor that in many ways defined the margin between Arsenal's victory and Barcelona's downfall, increases the chances of success in the execution of those plans, it is increasingly becoming a non-negotiable for teams vying for continental titles. This was likely the last Champions League campaign where teams could coast on pedigree. As demonstrated by Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnais (now rebranded as the OL Lyonnes), who have won three and a record eight Champions League titles respectively, a team-building strategy that consists of little more than fastening together the best players on the continent (and sometimes beyond) is not enough to win a continental club tournament anymore. Domestic leagues stretched apart by competition disparities are no longer Champions League luxuries, but potential liabilities. Resilience is a muscle, tough to build and quick to atrophy. Slegers attributed the team's ability to unite in their grinding out of a game, a quality forged over the campaign, as key in how they outlasted Barcelona. 'Definitely you see things this season, I think, in the team, and there are signs of a winning team,' Slegers said. 'You struggle together, you suffer together, you find ways to win, and I think in the critical moments, in high-pressure moments, we've done that this season.' Advertisement Of the eight teams that reached the Champions League quarter-finals during the 2024-2025 season — Arsenal, Barcelona, Chelsea, Lyon, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg — three experienced coaching changes mid-season. Slegers, a former player who came up through Arsenal's academy, was promoted to interim head coach on October 15 last year immediately following the resignation of Jonas Eidevall, who now manages the San Diego Wave in the National Women's Soccer League (NSWL). Eidevall's departure came less than a week after Arsenal lost to Bayern Munich 5-2 in the group stage of the Champions League, and three days after a 2-1 loss to Chelsea, defeats which drew the ire of the club's supporters, who were loud in their calls for his dismissal. Reflecting on that moment, he told Sky Sports in January he had 'to zoom out and understand what is about you, and what's about the team — what do the players need in this moment? I thought the easiest and quickest way to help the players perform was to remove that cloud, and that was me stepping away.' Identifying what wasn't working and cutting the cord as early as they did seemed to benefit Arsenal, who had plenty of time to rebuild their resilience and their season under Slegers. Manchester City and Wolfsburg's cases, by contrast, were more drawn out and occurred when both teams were deep into their tournament runs; City parted ways with Gareth Taylor on March 10, and then-Wolfsburg manager Tommy Stroot announced his resignation on April 1. By then, Slegers had settled into her January 17 appointment to head coach. Before the final, two of the biggest Champions League shocks came from stunning quarter-final comeback victories by Arsenal and Chelsea, who each rebounded from 2-0 losses to knock Real Madrid and City out of the tournament, respectively. Advertisement Chelsea looked strategically unprepared to deal with Barcelona across both legs of the semi-final despite the fact Barcelona's strategy rarely changes, only the ruthless precision with which they employ it. Lyon, meanwhile, succumbed to the classic golden handcuffed trap of resilience, unable to hold their 2-1 lead over Arsenal in the second leg of the semi-finals. It's no surprise that the same high press Arsenal lodged against Lyon in their 4-1 stunner worked against Barcelona on Saturday in Lisbon. Among the teams that topped the Women's Super League (WSL), French Division 1 Feminine and the Liga F in Spain, Chelsea recorded the slimmest goal differential at 43 (56 for, 13 against). Lyon's goal differential was 85 (92 for, seven against) and Barcelona's was 112 (128 for, 16 against) — not many opportunities to 'struggle together' or develop the musculature needed to overcome adversity before the high stakes of Champions League football enter the fray. This summer, transfer news will be pulled into the centripetal force of the women's European Championship, but the club and player movement that has already taken place hints at the changes to come: Real Madrid captain and Spanish national Olga Carmona is departing for Paris Saint-Germain, who were knocked out of the qualifying stage of this season's Champions League; Bayern have the task of replacing head coach Alexander Straus after three league-topping seasons with the club; Chelsea have just received a massive investment to continue their pursuit of European dominance. OL Lyonnes' rebrand is unlikely to stop at its logo. If Arsenal's remarkable run to Champions League glory tells us anything, it's that the margin between those expected to win and those who will have to stretch toward wins is thinning. The sooner a team opens itself up to evolution, through a trusted coach, the closer they'll get to success.
Evening Standard
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Evening Standard
Arsenal trophy celebration: What time and where is it today after historic Women's Champions League win
Head coach Renee Slegers, who was only appointed on a permanent basis in January after an impressive spell as interim boss, becomes just the second manager of an English side to win the Women's Champions League - after Vic Akers 18 years ago.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How Arsenal became European champions for a second time: Pressing, doubling up and smart subs
How Arsenal became European champions for a second time: Pressing, doubling up and smart subs Underdog victories in major finals aren't usually achieved so convincingly. Arsenal were rank outsiders going into the Champions League final against Barcelona on Saturday, with odds of up to 14/1 for them to win the game in 90 minutes. Player for player, Arsenal might only get a couple of names into the starting XI of Barcelona, the dominant side in this competition in recent years. But collectively, Arsenal were unquestionably superior, recording an unlikely but thoroughly deserved victory. Advertisement This Arsenal side is comprised almost solely of highly technical players. Centre-backs Steph Catley and Leah Williamson are a former left-back and a former midfielder respectively. Central midfielders Kim Little and Mariona Caldentey are No 10s at heart. Renee Slegers has eschewed old-school centre-backs and functional holding midfielders, and stuck to her Plan A despite knowing Arsenal would spend long periods without the ball. It worked brilliantly. Arsenal's system was 4-4-2 without possession. The defensive line was high, keeping the shape compact, and Alessia Russo and Frida Maanum worked together to shut down Barcelona's build-up play. Hard work out wide While Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati receive the most praise, the Barcelona player that requires special attention is right winger Caroline Graham Hansen, whose dribbling can destroy opponents. But Arsenal were incredibly diligent at getting various players around her. Advertisement Here, Caitlin Foord drops back to help out Katie McCabe, and Graham Hansen is dispossessed when she tries to go past them. Here's a similar situation, although this time it's central midfielder Little who goes out to confront Graham Hansen, with Caldentey her closest support. It doesn't make sense, on paper, for Arsenal's midfield duo to both find themselves in the left-back zone — and the edge of the box is completely empty. But that showed Arsenal's determination to shut down Barca's most dangerous player. In other situations, too, Arsenal's wingers worked incredibly hard. Here's a classic Barcelona move, with Mapi Leon releasing Fridolina Rolfo on the overlap, after Arsenal right-back Emily Fox has got sucked into tracking Claudia Pina dropping deep. Rolfo is well in advance of Foord, briefly playing on the right, and is one of the quickest players on the pitch. Advertisement But Foord made up an incredible amount of ground to produce a brilliant tackle, which she celebrated like a goal. Here's an example from the second half. Substitute Salma Paralluelo is down the left, and Barca are building an attack. Chloe Kelly, on the halfway line here, isn't in a great position to help stop her. But Kelly makes a 30-yard recovery run to tackle Paralluelo, who seemed surprised to see Kelly was even there. Also highlighted is Putellas on the ground — Kelly had also blocked off her run. High turnovers Arsenal needed to be brave with their pressing — that's what brought their memorable 4-1 victory at Lyon, and it's the only way to seriously cause Barcelona problems. Advertisement They did that well throughout the game, working in pairs to win possession high up the pitch. Here, Pina thinks she's free for a pass from Rolfo. But both Maanum and Little are closing down from either side. Pina only spots Little, to the right. She turns left, and runs into Maanum, who makes the tackle. Then Little picks up the loose ball, and Arsenal are on the attack. Here's a similar situation. Goalkeeper Cata Coll plays the ball into Putellas, who doesn't know Kelly is behind her and about to shut her down. Kelly makes the tackle, and two Arsenal players are on hand to take charge. Really, Caldentey didn't make the most of this situation. Problems with balls in behind Arsenal's only problem was playing Russo in behind. This early ball in behind from Kelly was the right idea, but Leon stepped up at the right time to play her offside (as she did for Arsenal's disallowed goal, incidentally). Advertisement The next time Arsenal were in a similar situation, Russo went too early, was in an offside position, so had to halt her run. Then it was Foord who made the run in behind instead… …but Coll swept well, and Foord was flagged offside anyway. This became a particular problem for Arsenal at the start of the second half, when Barcelona were starting to build pressure and Arsenal kept giving the ball away. Here, Williamson tries to play Russo in behind. But she's not quite on the shoulder of the last defender, and is always second-favourite. Leon is in control, and gets to the ball first. This ball from Williamson, aimed towards Russo, was also a good example of how Arsenal weren't getting it right. Advertisement Was it a cross or a through-ball? Neither was likely to be effective, with Irene Paredes blocking Russo's run. Blackstenius changes the game But Slegers had a plan. Stina Blackstenius — who Slegers played alongside in their days at Linkoping in Sweden — is often criticised for inconsistent finishing, but few players are better at making runs in behind the defence. And when Maanum went down injured, it was the perfect opportunity to introduce Blackstenius, stretching the Barcelona defence. Shortly after coming on, and thanks to a misplaced pass from Rolfo, Blackstenius had the game's clearest chance so far. Note the position of fellow substitute Beth Mead, also bounding in behind, and also of Russo, now asked to play deeper, almost as an extra midfielder. Advertisement At this point, the pass to Mead on the outside was possibly on… …but Blackstenius had a decent crack at goal herself, placing it too close to Coll. But Blackstenius' introduction clearly changed the game. Here, Fox curls a long ball in behind the defence. Compared to the aforementioned Williamson pass to Russo, Blackstenius is on the last line of defence. She's also up against Paredes, who sometimes lacks speed. The centre-back just about reaches the ball first, but can only put it behind for a corner. And Blackstenius winning that corner led to Blackstenius winning the game. In the second phase of the set piece, the other substitute, Mead, turned onto her left foot and, spotting Blackstenius was free thanks to Paralluelo charging forward towards the ball, slipped her in. Advertisement Blackstenius, backing away from the defenders to find an extra half-yard of space, controlled the ball and swept it home. One-nil to the Arsenal, as the song goes. It's difficult to think of a more comprehensive tactical performance in a European final — an underdog who didn't have to ride their luck, and who overcame more celebrated footballers courtesy of organisation, discipline and in-game management. 'It was the perfect execution of a game plan,' said Little. 'Which, as a footballer, is one of the best things.' This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Arsenal, UK Women's Football 2025 The Athletic Media Company
