Former Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has said that he had to choose between signing Mariona Caldentey or extending Vivianne Miedema바카라s contract due to the club's finances. (More Football News)
Eidevall left the Women's Super League club last October and was named the head coach of NWSL side San Diego Wave this week.
The 41-year-old Swedish tactician admitted that budget restrictions at Arsenal meant he had to pick between the two players and that the departure of Miedema ultimately led to the breakdown of his relationship with the supporters.
WSL record goalscorer Miedema left Arsenal in the summer and joined title rivals Manchester City as a free agent while the Gunners signed Caldentey from Barcelona.
바카라You have a limited budget that you have to deal with, and we had the opportunity to sign Caldentey or extend Miedema바카라s contract," Eidevall told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
"Then you have to choose. But it바카라s not a decision that you later stand at a press conference and talk about and say: 바카라We had to choose between two players.바카라 The reality is we couldn바카라t afford both.
"Then I have to make a decision about what I think is best for the club.바카라
Eidevall's Arsenal won just one of their opening four games of the season before he resigned from the club where he had won two Women's League Cup titles.
바카라I think that when we didn바카라t renew Miedema바카라s contract, my relationship at the time with the fans was hurting the team. I thought [leaving] was the easiest quick fix for the team to be able to perform again,바카라 he told Sports Illustrated.
Miedema scored 125 goals in 172 appearances across all competitions during her seven-season stay at Arsenal.
"That was an incredibly difficult personal decision for me to walk away from, but sometimes you have to do that when it바카라s what you think is best for the team," Eidevall said.
바카라I feel that there was a cloud hanging over us. If it had just been hanging over me, then I would have been fine. No worries. But if it becomes a narrative that affects the team, then the team바카라s performance in the autumn will not benefit.바카라
Arsenal have enjoyed a resurgence since Eidevall's departure and are currently third in the WSL table, having won 10 and drawn one of their past 11 matches under interim boss Renee Slegers.
