Arsenal season preview: Now or never for Eidevall

Our Arsenal writer Max Radwan on a make or break season for Jonas Eidevall.

As Jonas Eidevall embarks upon his fourth season in charge of Arsenal, there is an inescapable sense that the 2024-25 season is make or break for the Swede. While the awarding of a new contract in October 2023 brought the Arsenal manager some time, there appears to be some acceptance that another season of finishing third and winning the Conti Cup (as has been the case in the last two seasons) will not pass muster with the Arsenal hierarchy this time around. This is a defining season for Project Eidevall.

What happened last season?

For the second consecutive season, Arsenal finished third in the WSL and failed to mount a serious title challenge. The Gunners endured a nightmarish start to their campaign as they crashed out in the first-qualifying-round of the Uefa Women's Champions League before taking just one point from their opening two WSL games. They were never quite able to recover from this.

A recurring theme was their struggle against low-blocks. The Gunners finished five points behind eventual champions Chelsea and it is impossible not to look at the trio of defeats against Liverpool, Tottenham and West Ham and wonder what could have been. One positive from the 2023-24 campaign was Arsenal's record against their 'big three' rivals. A nine point haul from matches against Chelsea and City represented a best ever WSL points tally in matches against those opponents.

Sum up the summer transfer window… 

Arsenal were involved in the biggest transfer story of the summer as the bombshell news of Vivianne Miedema's departure was confirmed in May. The league’s all-time record goalscorer ended up heading to rivals Manchester City on a free transfer. Mariona Caldentey, who started on the left in each of the recent UWCL qualifiers, has come in from Barcelona in to help fill some of the creative void. Rosa Kafaji, who joins from BK Häcken, will be a player Eidevall hopes can solve the low-block problem. Daphne Van Domselaar joins from Aston Villa to compete with Manuela Zinsberger for the number one shirt.

Squad depth could become an issue for Eidevall if his experienced players pick up injuries. Arsenal go into the new campaign with just three recognised senior players in both the centre of midfield and defence as Victoria Pelova and Amanada Illestedt are unavailable until 2025.

Who should fans keep an eye on this season?

Pelova’s ACL injury while on international duty was a huge blow, but her prolonged absence opens the door for Kyra Cooney-Cross. The Australian, who arrived on deadline day last September, never managed to secure a regular starting place last season, but a first full preseason already looks like its made a difference. Her cross-field switches and dynamic dribbling grabbed attention during the first round of games in UWCL qualifying. Competing with the eternal duo of Kim Little and Lia Walti for a place in Arsenal's midfield double-pivot, she will be looking to make her mark on the side in Pelova's absence. 

From the academy, look out for central defender Katie Reid. The 17-year-old made her competitive bow for the club in April and will aim for more first team minutes in the new season having slotted seamlessly into the first team in pre-season.

The game you’ve marked in your calendar….

Manchester City at home is the obvious answer here. If kicking off the season at Emirates Stadium against a top three rival isn't enough to wet the appetite, we also have the tantalising narrative of Miedema's immediate return to N5 to sink our teeth into. Having said, that it would be remiss of me not to mark October's trip to the Chigwell Construction Stadium. West Ham away has become something of a bogey fixture for Arsenal, with the Gunners failing to win in east London in each of the last two seasons.

Prediction….

I'm going to be bullish here and say that Arsenal will win the 2024-25 WSL title. While issues against low-blocks last season were well-documented, Arsenal's excellent record against last season's top three suggests that they are closer to a serious title tilt than some many appreciate. If Eidevall leans into the creative instincts of Mariona and Kafaji by releasing the handbrake on what became a highly structured attacking setup last season, his team may be able to avoid coming unstuck against teams from outside the top four. Out of possession, Arsenal should remain intense in the press and solid defensively – they boasted the best defensive record in the league in terms of expected goals against in 2023-24. 

Max is a lifelong Arsenal fan who started writing about women's football in the 2022-23 season. He has his own newsletter and Substack and regularly writes for The Halfway Line. Max is excited to embark on this journey with The Cutback and play a part in giving women's football the comprehensive coverage it deserves.