After a lot of speculations, San Diego Wave has hired Arsenal’s former boss, Jonas Eidevall, as new head coach.
San Diego Wave’s search for a new head coach is finally over. The team has announced that Arsenal’s former boss, Jonas Eidevall, is the new head coach for the NWSL side. The former Gunners boss has signed a three-year contract to mark his move to the NWSL.
The signing of Eidevall ends a long search that San Diego Wave started since Casey Stoney’s departure. Stoney’s departure came in the middle of the 2024 NWSL season and left the team in need of a new permanent head coach. After Stoney left, Landon Donovan entered the picture as an interim manager.
Now with the arrival of Eidevall, the team can start preparing properly for the 2025 NWSL campaign. This move for Eidevall comes after he resigned from his position as Arsenal women’s head coach back in October. Back then, Eidevall left Arsenal just after seven games has passed from the current WSL season.
The signing of Eidevall is one of San Diego Wave’s attempts to get back on the right track. The team has, unfortunately, struggled during their previous NWSL campaign. They finished the season in 10th place and missed out on the playoffs because of that.
Fans will surely be hoping that Eidevall can turn things around. Eidevall, who won two cups with Arsenal in 2023 and 2024, will have a tough mission to complete in a very competitive league.
Eidevall shared a few words following his signing as San Diego Wave’s new head coach.
This is a club with a clear vision for success, both on and off the field, and I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this talented team by the Leichtman-Levine Family and Camille Ashton. San Diego is a city with passionate fans and a vibrant futbol culture, and I’m eager to contribute to building a winning legacy here.
San Diego Wave’s owner, Lauren Leichtman, had some kind words of her own to say about Jonas Eidevall.
Jonas’s arrival marks the beginning of a new era for San Diego Wave FC. His leadership, vision, and track record of success make him an excellent fit for this role to guide our club forward. We are excited for this next chapter and are confident Jonas will build a culture within the team that not only competes for championships but also inspires our fans and represents the values of San Diego.
The signing of Eidevall as new head coach was met by backlash from the club’s fans. In the announcement posts on social media, fans made sure to express their disapproval of such a signing. The disapproval isn’t something new for Eidevall who faced a lot of criticism while with Arsenal. This criticism ultimately led to his resignation.
Now, the fans are fearful of another repeat of Eidevall’s time at Arsenal. There were reports of disagreements between him and Arsenal key players. The fans voiced their disappointment and criticized San Diego Wave management for signing Eidevall instead of giving a chance to a female coach.
Eidevall’s mission at San Diego Wave isn’t easy at all. He didn’t play a single game yet and he is already criticized by the fans with some of them promising to boycott the games. Along with this, San Diego Wave is already going through difficult times, especially with last season’s results.
Last season also witnessed the retirement of San Diego Wave’s legend, Alex Morgan. Not to mention the departure of former club president Jill Ellis. Ellis left her position in December to take on a role with FIFA. It is certain that Eidevall has a tough mission ahead of him.
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