A new Women's Super League season is upon us. **Arsenal**are in the hunt to rival Chelsea, the perennial champions of the division, and Renee Slegers spoke to the press about some of the stories of the summer that have involved her squad.
‘She always takes ownership’
Alessia Russo has signed a new deal with the Gunners, and Slegers shared her delight at the news.
“She's such an impressive player to work with. It's not only what you see on the pitch every week, but it's what she does every single day. We talk a lot about everyday matters and she invests so much.”
The striker excelled from the moment that the Dutchwoman got the gig as the manager, scoring seven goals in her first seven WSL games. The hope is that this fruitful alliance continues for the long term.
*“You can see the work she puts in and how it comes out in games. We’re proud she's part of Arsenal. I'm very happy I got the chance to work with her, and I'm very happy that she extended the contract.”*
The 26-year-old has also nailed down a starting spot for **England**and was part of the squad to go back-to-back in the Euros. However, she is not resting on her laurels, constantly keen for feedback.
“It's small things, but if there's something that's not clear to her in a unit meeting or in a team meeting, she wouldn't walk out of the room not knowing what's expected. She always takes ownership. In that sense, she's a role model. She role models a lot of good behaviours on the pitch as well.”
The manager mentioned how she tries to support Russo in getting the absolute best out of her game.
“We actually had a meeting yesterday. We tried to look at her holistically, so from all aspects of her game. There are so many things to it, but there are details that we want to stretch her on. Obviously, she's on a very high level, but there are still some details we see from all different directions.”
‘She was always going to be with us’
Slegers spoke more about a few of the other members of the squad who could feature on Saturday. The star summer signing is Olivia Smith, who arrived from **Liverpool**for a world record transfer fee.
“She's very talented. There's so much potential and she's shown a lot of that last season in the WSL, which is very impressive, coming to the WSL and performing like that because it’s one of the hardest leagues in the world, in Europe. We see all the potential and she's going to add something new to us.”
Her arrival means that the competition in attack is fiercer than ever. Chloe Kelly has also come back to the club for good from Man City, and Caitlin Foord earned Slegers' trust to start as a winger in the Champions League final. All of this does not mean that one particular player has lost her value.
“For me, Beth was always an Arsenal player. As far as I know, she was always going to be with us.”
Beth Mead has been with the Gunners since the start of 2017, and the boss believes her experience is invaluable.
“Beth is very important because we want to connect to our history as well. Beth understands that and she is part of that because she's been at the club for many years. She means so much to us in that sense. Then also, from a football perspective, she brings certain qualities that are important to us.”
Another player who has been on the margins of matches is Jenna Nighswonger. The American is fighting for minutes at left back with Katie McCabe and summer signing Taylor Hinds. But even if she does not have a secure starting spot, the 24-year-old is a prized asset because of her versatility.
“She’s played different positions throughout her career. We know that she can cover different positions for us as well. She's very versatile. She brings certain things to us as a team and what we will always do is try to build a team as functional or as effective as possible for the games that we have to play.”
‘She cares for everyone and everything’
The group has gained from the appointment of Slegers, but not every individual has benefitted.
Lia Walti was a loyal lieutenant of the team, earning a spot in the PFA Team of the Year in 2019, the last time that the Gunners won the WSL. She appeared 177 times for the side across seven seasons before announcing that she would depart for pastures anew and joined **Juventus**on a two-year deal.
“In a lot of things she could see the small details and she wants to see every single person and that's a big strength of Wally. If you look at leadership and players, I think everyone carries leadership. If you look at the squad, that's what she was bringing us off the pitch and that was really strong.”
Slegers shared some insight into her work with the Swiss long before she became the manager.
“When I came to Arsenal as an individual development coach, she was one of the first players I got close with because she invests a lot in her own game and in her own development. She started to send me messages and clips and wanted to review things. We very quickly built a strong relationship.”
A tight-knit group needs people to lead by example, and Walti was one of those figures for Slegers.
“That says everything about Wally. How she wants to take ownership of things and how self-reflective she is. She cares for everyone and everything. That's a big strength and that's a loss for the team.”
Yet, the boss has complete confidence in her players to evolve again after the midfielder's exit.
“That will be a loss for us but there are a lot of other personalities and strengths in the team as well who will pick that up. She was an incredibly valuable member of the squad.”