Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has said 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 this week appointed head coach of NWSL side San Diego Wave.
The 41-year-old Swedish tactician admitted that budget constraints at Arsenal forced him to choose between the two players and that Miedema's departure ultimately led to the breakdown of his relationship with the supporters.
WSL record scorer Miedema left Arsenal in the summer to join title rivals Manchester City as a free agent, while the Gunners signed Caldentey from Barcelona.
“You have a limited budget you have to deal with, and we had the option of signing Caldentey or extending Miedema's contract,” Eidevall told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
“Then you have to choose. But it is not a decision that you talk about later at a press conference and say: 'We had to choose between two players.' The reality is that we couldn't afford both.
a new era is upon us
Welcome to the Gulf, Jonas Eidevall pic.twitter.com/VpwhkRWXHj
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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 the first four games of the season before resigning from the club where he had won two Women's League Cup titles.
“I think when we didn't renew Miedema's contract, my relationship with the fans at the time hurt the team. I thought [leaving] was the easiest quick fix for the team to get back to performing,” he told Sports Illustrated.
Miedema scored 125 goals in 172 appearances in all competitions during her seven-season stay at Arsenal.
“That was an incredibly difficult personal decision for me to step away from, but sometimes you have to do that if you think it's best for the team,” Eidevall said.
“I feel like there's a cloud hanging over us. If it had just stayed above my head, I would have been fine. No problem. But if it becomes a story that affects the team, then the team's performance in the fall will not benefit from it.”
Arsenal have enjoyed a revival since Eidevall's departure and currently sit third in the WSL table, having won 10 and drawn one of their past 11 games under interim boss Renee Slegers.
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