Natalia Arroyo describes being unveiled as Aston Villa Women’s new Head Coach as a ‘honour’.
The 38-year-old has penned a three-and-a-half-year deal as she joins from Liga F side Real Sociedad.
In her first interview with Villa TV Arroyo expressed her joy of joining the club.
“It feels great, I’m super excited,” she shared.
“It’s an honour to be here, to join this club and I can’t wait to start working with the team, being in the city and to start training.
“I am really happy.”
Arroyo also explained what attracted her to the role and how she wants to help the club build on the foundations that have already been laid.
The Spaniard said: “It’s an historic club.
“It’s a club that has a great project and that has a good present but a good vision to a better future and I feel confident and I feel great to be a coach that helps a team to grow and I think that we are in this great point where there are great things that have been done already but I can help to make the club take the next step.
“I really felt great from the first conversation, I like the squad, and I like the club.
“I am ready to help.”
Arroyo, who represented Barcelona as a player, spent four years at the helm of Real Sociedad but is now relishing the challenge of working in the English game for the first time in her career.
“After four great years in Spain I really wanted a new challenge,” she expressed.
“I needed a big, big league and a competitive league and England is the best one.
“It is really attractive, there are big stadiums and big crowds.
“I have been watching almost every game since summer to get as much information as possible, so I don’t feel like a stranger.”
Arroyo’s first game in charge will be when the Villans face Chelsea at Villa Park next weekend and picking up points from now until the end of the season is firmly in the Spaniard’s sights as she states that the side need to be performing better in the league table.
She said: “I know coming during the season with a lot of matches played already and with less time than joining during the summer you need to adapt and try to change little things so there is not a big revolution or a big change.
‘But I need to push with new energy, with new ideas and with little changes so that these great performances that the team have been doing can be transformed to results.
“That is the mission, we know that we need points and to be better in the table.”
The new Head Coach will officially meet her new team next week and she is eagerly awaiting the chance to meet the players and get to work.
“I really want to talk to the players, to share with them my ideas of the vision and the concept that I have for them,” Arroyo shared.
“I want to meet them to see them training and I will try to improve them.
“I think that we have a talented squad with some young players and some players that have played a lot of matches that will teach me also.
“I really need to feel them, to be around them to see them and have big conversations with them.”
