Three more years! Arsenal boss Renee Slegers earns new contract through to 2029 after guiding Gunners to incredible Champions League triumph

Slegers, who spent time in Arsenal's academy as a youngster, returned to the club in September 2023, as the assistant to then-head coach Jonas Eidevall. When the Swede left his post in the early stages of the 2024-25 season, Slegers stepped in in an interim role and impressed so much during an 11-game unbeaten run that she was given the job on a permanent basis in January of last year.

That move was more than justified in the months that followed, as the Dutchwoman guided Arsenal to victory over Barcelona in the Women's Champions League final back in May. Now, despite an inconsistent start to the new season, the club has tied Slegers down for the next three seasons, with a deal that ends after the 2028-29 campaign.

Speaking upon the announcement of her new contract, Slegers said: "From playing in the academy and being in the stands watching Arsenal win the Champions League in 2007, to living it with our players, staff and supporters last summer, I’m immensely proud to have shared this journey with Arsenal, a club that means so much to me and to so many people.

"I’m delighted to have signed a new contract here, as I believe we have so much to achieve together – this season and in the years to come. I’d like to show my gratitude to our supporters for the incredible backing you give us, whether it’s at Emirates Stadium or on the road. We hear it, we see it and we feel it every day.”

Richard Garlick, Arsenal's chief executive officer, added: “Renee has already achieved great things as our head coach, leading us to our second Champions League title in her first season in charge. Beyond this, Renee has embraced the values and ambitions of Arsenal, driving standards and progress as we aim to compete consistently at the top of the women's game. We now look ahead to an exciting second half of the season, with five trophies to play for. Our huge congratulations to Renee and her family."

Slegers' impact last season was outstanding. The 36-year-old, who previously won two league titles when succeeding Eidevall as head coach of Swedish side Rosengard, didn't make drastic changes as an interim but rather small, effective tweaks, such as moving left-back Steph Catley into a left-sided centre-back role that helped the defence's build-up play improve while allowing Katie McCabe to thrive as a flying full-back on the same side.

Taking the reins off the back of a run of two wins in just seven games, Slegers stabilised Arsenal's form, guiding them through a 13-game unbeaten run and a remarkable European campaign that saw the Gunners come back from significant deficits to beat Real Madrid - that quite literally an historic comeback - and Lyon to reach the final, where Barcelona were stunned in a 1-0 loss. It delivered a second UWCL title for the club and their first since 2007, with Arsenal still the only English women's side to be crowned European champions at club level.

While some expected Arsenal to use that continental triumph as a springboard for the 2025-26 season and really challenge for the Women's Super League title, having not won it since 2019, that has rather surprisingly not come to fruition so far. The Gunners still sit third in the league, thus occupying a Champions League spot, but they are eight points behind leaders Manchester City at the halfway stage of the competition.

Still, with plenty of big games coming up between now and the end of the season, and the January transfer window giving the chasing pack a chance to strengthen their challenge, things could change. There are also still opportunities for success for Arsenal in the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League, plus the new FIFA Women’s Champions Cup which takes place later this month.

Regardless, this news makes it clear that, in Slegers, the Gunners believe they have found the right person to lead this club forward over the next three years.