A new report claims there have been problems in the Arsenal dressing room for “many years”, with some players “wielding significant influence”.
There were high hopes for the Gunners going into the 2025-26 season, following their Women’s Champions League win in May.
However, four wins from their opening nine games have left the Gunners eight points behind Manchester City in the Women’s Super League.
Arsenal are also 10th in the Women’s Champions League after wins over Benfica and Real Madrid were matched by defeats to Lyon and Bayern Munich.
Arsenal’s on-field performances have not been helped by the loss of key players to injuries at different points. Leah Williamson has not played this season due to a knee injury, while promising defender Katie Reid was recently ruled out for the season with an ACL injury.
However, a report in The Athletic has now delved into alleged long-standing tensions within the Arsenal dressing room.
Dressing room “unrest” at Arsenal
The Athletic’s report has shed light on issues in the Arsenal dressing room, drawing on multiple anonymous sources who are said to be close to the club.
It’s alleged that the dressing room has been “splintered for many years” with tension among players and a small group “wielding significant influence”.
The report adds that as the women’s game has grown, resulting in increased exposure and attention, player influence has also grown.
Sources told the media outlet that the dressing room has become a “difficult place to feel comfortable”, with another alleging they have never known an environment “so competitive and yet so disrespectful”.
The dressing room reportedly allegedly became less unified during former manager Jonas Eidevall’s three-year tenure. However, the same issues are said to remain under Renee Slegers, who was appointed on an interim basis in November 2024, before becoming the permanent manager in January 2025.
Sources also pointed to a “lack of cohesive strategy and accountability” above Slegers. The report adds that Claire Wheatley, the club’s director of women’s football, has received mixed reviews as she can be an “efficient operator in transfers but can be difficult to contact”.
Arsenal, though, are said to have employed five full-time recruitment staff for the women’s team, and a “football intelligence” department hopes to bring the same expertise deployed to modernise the men’s recruitment to the women’s side.
What's going wrong for Arsenal's Champions League winners? Long-time unrest in dressing room, concerns over how women's set-up fits into club's overall strategy + who addresses culture.
Piece w/ @charlotteharpur + @gunnerblog. @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/M0W3uRuz31
— Megan Feringa (@megan_feringa) November 26, 2025
Arsenal’s off-pitch success
Despite the reports of dressing room issues, Arsenal are also still one of the most commercially valuable women’s teams in the world.
Deloitte reported they generated £15.3m in revenue during the 2023-24 season, the highest of any WSL club, with a 64 per cent increase in matchday revenue.
The Guardian also reported that Arsenal were responsible for more than one-third of the league’s ticket sales across the opening six matchdays this season.
The WSL were concerned by low TV audience viewing figures for Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea, though it’s claimed that this was largely down to the game’s 12pm kick-off time.
Arsenal play all their home WSL games at the Emirates Stadium, attracting a crowd of 57,000 for their clash with Chelsea earlier this month.
