Arsenal very happy with departing Rafaelle says Eidevall

The 31-year-old Brazil captain, who has been linked with the Orlando Pride, has been with the Gunners since January 2022.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of his side concluding their WSL campaign by hosting Aston Villa on Saturday, Eidevall said of Rafaelle: “She’s had such a high level, she’s been so consistent, and I’m so pleased for us that we’ve had a player like her.

“We’ve been very happy with her, she’s been very happy playing with us here as well. But for reasons that were beyond our control, she will leave.

“She’s sad for it, we’re sad for it, but I really cherished the memories we had with her, I want to thank her for all the contributions she made to the club, and I hope she can have a really strong performance tomorrow and we can have a really nice sending off.”

Asked if he thought it would be a busy summer transfer window, Eidevall said: “It has to be a very big transfer window for us, especially given that both last summer and the winter window was…not good enough for us and we didn’t get our targets in the way we wanted. So we have to get that right this summer.”

Arsenal, who had bids for Manchester United’s England forward Alessia Russo rejected in January, look set to finish a season in which they have been hit by long-term injuries to a number of players third in the WSL.

The Gunners are three points clear of Manchester City in the final Champions League berth, with a goal difference superior by 11.

Eidevall, whose side have also won the League Cup and reached the Champions League semi-finals this term, said: “So far I’ve been very proud of the group and the performances, but there’s one left and we’re not jumping ahead to anything. We need to be very good on Saturday to finish the way we want.”

Asked how to stop Chelsea, for whom victory at Reading on Saturday will secure a fourth successive WSL title, Eidevall said: “It’s like if you want to get in shape – you can’t go 10 hours to the gym and work out. That’s not going to get you in shape, it’s probably going to get you injured.

“But if you stick to a process, go almost every day, follow a plan, eventually you will get into shape.

“If that’s going to happen in two months, a year, two years, when you’re going to get fitter than your competitor, you can’t really put a guarantee on a timeline.

“But you need to stick to your process, do what you believe in and follow that, and that’s what we and others need to do. We need to do that better than Chelsea is at the moment, which is of course very hard, in order to close that gap.”