Is Arsenal women’s dressing room rift & succession planning derailing their season? | OneFootball

Questions over structure, succession planning and a fractured dressing room are now shaping the debate around the club’s direction.

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Last week, The Athletic published a well-sourced report detailing problems inside Arsenal Women. Three core issues were identified: the structure above the manager, succession planning, and a dressing room said to be fractured.

In structural terms, there remains uncertainty around the respective roles of Clare Wheatley and Jodie Taylor. What, in practical terms, do the Director of Women’s Football and the Football Services Executive actually oversee? Their precise remit is unclear, particularly in relation to recruitment, where questions about decision-making and accountability continue to surface.

Succession planning remains a recurring concern. There is a persistent sense among supporters that timing has not always been right. Last summer did at least deliver two strong arrivals in Olivia Smith and Taylor Hinds, along with a back-up goalkeeper in Anneke Borbe.

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The larger issue now is the scale of potential turnover next summer. With several players out of contract and others either declining or no longer favoured by the manager, as many as six or seven first-team departures are possible. That raises obvious questions about volume and quality of recruitment. How many players would need to come in, what standard can realistically be targeted, and what profiles would they represent?

It is evident that certain players do not suit the roles required by the manager’s game plan. Any new arrivals must fit those demands immediately. Otherwise, the club risks repeating past mistakes, signing players who are not truly needed, something that has occurred several times over the last five years.

In truth, Arsenal have needs across almost every position on the pitch, either for new starters or reliable depth. The only possible exception is the number nine role, where three options should be available next season in Alessia Russo, Stina Blackstenius and Michelle Agyemang. If one of those three departs in the summer, that position would require reassessment, unless Jessie Gale is deemed ready to step up as a third-choice striker.

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Eight players were sent on loan this season. One, Michelle Agyemang, has already returned due to long-term injury. Alongside her, perhaps two or three others may realistically be part of the squad next season. The pathway from academy football to first-team contention remains extremely narrow. That reality has been reflected in the departures of Teyah Goldie and Freya Godfrey to London City Lionesses in search of regular game time and development.

The most concerning element of The Athletic’s report, however, relates to the dressing room. Numerous sources close to the team describe an environment that has been splintered for many years, with lack of unity and underlying tension. A small group is said to wield significant influence over dressing-room dynamics and decision-making.

There is a clearly defined leadership group under Renee Slegers, made up of the captain, vice-captain and senior players. That structure is normal within any football squad. The question is whether that authority has become overstretched.

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The player-heavy power dynamic was linked by some to the rapid growth of the women’s game itself. Increased exposure and attention have coincided with increased player influence. One passage of the report reads: “In the vacuum, the dressing room has become a difficult place for some players to feel comfortable. One source indicated that they had never known an environment that is ‘so competitive and yet so disrespectful’.”

That observation is deeply troubling. Anyone with experience of a professional dressing room understands how corrosive a poisoned atmosphere can be. History, in both the men’s and women’s games, shows how quickly an unhealthy environment can derail a team.

The Athletic also reported that some players entered last season and pre-season with the impression they would receive more game time than they ultimately have. Others, described as working hard in training, feel unrewarded, leading one agent to observe that “some players are untouchable”.

To a degree, hierarchy within a squad is unavoidable. Established players often retain the right to start ahead of back-ups and fringe options. That is a normal process within elite football.

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Slegers’ own patterns reflect that conservatism. Across her tenure she has averaged 2.75 starting XI changes per game, while making an average of 4.85 substitutions. Her approach is to trust tried-and-tested players. That methodology carries risk when workloads build and injuries follow, as is currently the case.

Selection decisions sit at the heart of a manager’s role, alongside tactical preparation. Coaches live and die by results. It is also relevant that Slegers is operating on an 18-month contract.

If the club decide she is not the right fit, a decision could be taken as early as June. That, however, would not address the deeper structural issues now exposed.