Renee Slegers’ big pre-season interview

Our women’s head coach recently sat down to reflect on the summer and look ahead to the 2026/27 campaign.

You can press play on the video above to watch the full interview with Renée, or read through the transcript below.

Renée, another season. First of all, how was your summer and how did you find it having a proper summer away?

RS: Yeah, nice. Spent some time with family, of course, in a couple of different countries. Spent quite some time in England as well. I was very keen to see more of the country, understand more of the country. So, we spent some time in lovely places in England as well, but of course, it was nice to get some time off.

But even more important for the players: they got their time off. But really happy to be back.

And over the summer, it's been a busy transfer window, so you have spent some time here at Sobha Realty. We strengthened in several key areas across the pitch, so I'm curious what you can tell us about the process behind who we chose to bring into the team.

RS: Yeah, I think we've been very precise with who we wanted to bring in, the person behind the player, finding the right timing, the right moment from so many perspectives. And yeah, I'm really happy with the seven new players that have come into us now.

I think they're all going to help us become better. They're going to strengthen the squad. They all have their specific qualities, so they're going to bring new things to the team, which we want and need, because there's a lot of good things that we've been doing last season, but we also want to go to the next level and take the next step. So they're going to bring new ideas, new qualities, and we're working really hard to make sure that those seven players get integrated as quickly as possible. First and foremost, what it means to be at Arsenal, but also the way we want to play and the way we want to conduct ourselves. They're all amazing and all going to bring their specific selves to the team.

And obviously we've brought in a lot of players, but at the end of last season had some influential figures who've been here for years depart. Does that present an opportunity for perhaps new styles of leadership in the team to emerge? And perhaps players who have been here for a little while to sort of step into those roles?

RS: Yeah, I think that even if you're a group of 25 people, if you change one person, the dynamics will change. So there will be change and we're embracing the change. And of course, the players that have been here and have played at Arsenal for so long, we're very grateful for how they helped Arsenal become who Arsenal is. And I think if I look at the here and now, we have a very strong captains group who are leading in a very good way, all in their own way.

But for me, it also starts with self-leadership. How do you lead yourself first and then you can start leading others? And I see a lot of different qualities in the squad. I see new dynamics being created, of course, when there's a new platform to see how players step up.

And I've seen that, which is really good. I've seen new sides of players that have been here for longer. I'm really happy with the way the new players have come in as well, the new signings, because it's not easy. You come to a big club like Arsenal. We have a certain way of doing things. You meet a lot of new people. Many of them have moved to a new country. There are a lot of staff. There's a lot of things to learn. And then you also have to find the right balance of integrating into a new group. So bringing yourself, but also learning about how things work and observing. But I think they've all been brilliant.

Also, the new players will bring a certain type of leadership as well and add to the dynamics in the team. You have more extroverted personalities who will bring the energy and will lead on the pitch. And then you have other types of personalities that will do a lot for the team when it comes to connection. So yeah, that's for me a big joy to work with a group. Of course, I love football, but also to see how a group comes together.

On that integration piece, we've just come back from our pre-season camp in La Manga. How important is that time to really bed in not only the new players, but also the new staff and focus on our goals for the new season?

RS: Very important. I think just if I strip it back and say these players that have gone back-to-back in seasons, they've actually had a summer off and could decompress and find the love and the hunger for football. Feel that. It's been so good for them to get the time off and you can just see how much they come back and are longing to play football again. So that was really nice to see.

They came back in really good physical shape, so they had been working hard, even though they were away from the training ground, which was really good. And then of course, we went to La Manga and that was the third or fourth week of pre-season. We played our second pre-season game. I think that moment, up until then, it was a lot about connection, understanding the game model, understanding who we are, a part of what we represent here at Arsenal. And then off the back of all that work that we did here at the training ground, we went away and could actually connect in a different environment, which is really nice.

It brings out something else and connects in different settings. So I think the team, we had big spaces so the team could find their moments and their areas to connect, away from us at times as well, but also together with us. So yeah, connection has been a big piece, but also the hard work that we've done on the training pitch and the pre-season game we played there.

And now we're back at Sobha Realty Training Centre. We still have a couple more friendlies, but what are you hoping to see on the training ground and also, in the building off the pitch?

RS: The connection piece and understanding what we're part of - that was a big part of what we did the first couple of weeks. Going through the game model, the way we want to play, the identity. Now it's about finding those real connections on the pitch, those partnerships, trying to understand each other. The detail and the way we communicate with each other. Understanding and recognising each other's super strengths and how they fit in well together on the pitch.

So that's the stage we're at now. And of course, also progressing minutes, we're progressing training load as well, so there's a big physical side, of course, to pre-season. I love this part of pre-season as well. So we've done all the initial work. We understand what we're part of, very proud to represent Arsenal. And then what can we do here with this group of players? Their engagement has been fantastic. Players have been so engaged, so close. You can see it in their eyes on the training pitch, but also in the meeting room off pitch. The way they want to invest in this, in this season. Yeah, it's been great to work with the team.

If we zoom out a little bit and focus on you. This is your third season managing Arsenal. Across those three seasons, what have you noticed about your own development and perhaps things that you've learnt from our players and from our staff?

RS: I wouldn't be able to tell you in this little short moment! But I think what I've learnt about myself is that I can define who I am in my role now better than I could two years ago. I understand myself better. I understand the demands better. I know how to deal with it better.

So for me, that's been learning just by taking on the challenges, but also by the support from a lot of staff members who are really close to me, who I learn from every single day. But also the inspiration of the players. So working with them, their ideas, their perspectives. They give me so much as well. There are so many things, big and small, that I see very different now compared to two years ago. But very important to me is that I always stay close to who I am and myself.

But if I look at… If you say third season, that sounds... Yeah, third season. If I think about where we are as a group now, it's in a great place. But this is only pre-season and we have nine months ahead of us to try and achieve what we want to achieve this year. I’m very proud always to be part of Arsenal. It's special. It's a special feeling always And I feel that gratitude every morning I drive into the training ground. But yeah, I think I've learned a lot about myself and I can define myself better.

In terms of those achievements that we want to strive for this season, what are the hopes and our ambitions from you?

RS: Taking the next step. Like I said, we've been growing the last couple of years. There were a lot of really good things last year. If you look at results, we're second in the WSL. We're semi-finalists in the Champions League. Exited the Cups too early again, like the year before. But in those two big competitions, we're very, very close.

Like I said, the next step is to be even closer and to be up there to compete for the first place. So that's what we're going after this season. But we're going to do everything that we're capable of within our control to put ourselves in a position to do it. I think just a couple of weeks into pre-season, it looks good, but of course, I look forward to the season to start and the competitive games to start.

And obviously at the end of last season, you get to be on the bus with the team as we drive through North London. And perhaps every person in North London is on those streets to not only celebrate us, but also celebrate the men's Premier League win. Do scenes like that really distil in your mind what we want to keep achieving? Does it drive you on, make you hungrier?

RS: Yeah. So again, congratulations to the men's team. It was incredible the way they won the Premier League last year. It's being there on the bus, seeing all those people. It was so much more than I ever thought it could be. Seeing all those faces, connecting with everyone, just the red everywhere, the diversity of people, people from all walks of life.

To spend that moment together, it was really, really special. I think I have a bad memory, but I won't forget this moment. And of course, it fuels us. That's one of the things that we put into the fuel tank. But there's so many other things that fuel us. We have a lot of intrinsic motivation as well. But being able to spend those moments with the fans, with the Arsenal people and feel united, yeah, it was incredible.

And if we look at the league, obviously every year there are personnel changes and changes to opposition. But we've had an expansion of the league of two extra teams. What are you kind of expecting for this season and the changes?

RS: The league is going to be stronger every year. And that's big credit to the league, to the FA and everyone involved because it's getting better and better, and stronger and stronger. All clubs that are investing. And then also credit to the players who are investing in themselves to become the best possible football players as well. So it's growing every year and it's very exciting.

I think maybe before you spoke about a top four, but I think there are more teams starting to knock on the door as well. And I hope that the teams coming up and the extra teams that are added to the league, that they can stabilise themselves as well. But yeah, it's going to be a big challenge, but we're embracing the challenge.

For ourselves, we have quite the start to the league. You talk about that top four, our three closest rivals – historically. We play them pretty much straight out of the gate. Do you see that as an opportunity to kind of stake our claim on the league as well as a challenge?

RS: I feel very motivated for this challenge. Last year, we weren't happy with the start of the league. I think the same the year before. We want this, we need this, we need to be on top of everything. We need to be the best version of ourselves as a team. What's better than facing big challenges? So I look forward to it. And you're going to play every team twice a season. So that's inevitable that will happen. That's the fact of playing in a league. No, but I think it's good for us and I look forward to the challenge.

And obviously we're back at Emirates Stadium very, very soon. We're again playing all of our home games in the league there. When it's a full house and you have those supporters there at full volume, what kind of advantage does that give an already very special side?

RS: Yeah, I think our performances at the Emirates, they speak for themselves. We know how good we are and the football that we can play. It's a big factor. It's something about the way we share that moment and the way we see and feel every single fan in the stadium. When it's red, when they're singing, sharing that passion for Arsenal, playing for Arsenal. That's made us stronger at the Emirates.

So together with the fans, we feel really, really strong at the Emirates. And I want to thank everyone for last year. Everyone who's been there, whether it was the whole season or one game. That's one of the things that I've missed during the summer. I really look forward to spending time at the Emirates again together with the fans.

What message do you have for our supporters as we gear up for another massive season?

RS: We see you, we feel you. I think when we do the Lap of Honour post-game, I really want to try and connect with as many as possible because we don't take it for granted. We're so happy that we can spend those moments and create energy together with them.

Please join us through everything that we're going to try and achieve this season. It's going to be nine months of hard work, of ups and downs, of good moments, challenging moments. We want to be in this all together and connected. So please join us on this next season.