Nearly 18 years after her first game for Arsenal Women at the age of 17, Kim Little brought up her 400th appearance for the Gunners as a late substitute in Arsenal’s 4-0 Champions League win away to Leuven.

Little’s history with the club stretches back so long that Arsenal had to re-count her number of games in 2024, concluding her number of appearances was actually higher than initially thought.

Asked by the Gooner Fanzine about Little’s big milestone, Slegers said “It's a pleasure working with Kim. It's a pleasure for me to work with the whole group, it's really good. 

“We're working together in a really good way between staff and players. But yeah, Kim is special. She's the type of leader that role models all the right behaviour, sets the standards, takes care of herself so well, prepares so well. 

“I think I've said it many times before, everything she does is 100 per cent and with so much detail. She's so humble and that's a big part of who we are right now. And I think that humility you can see in our performance today in how we defend it and how we stop transitions. Kim is a big part of it because that's a big part of her personality. 

Slegers also discussed her relationship with the 35-year-old with the Gooner. “I of course had the opportunity to get to know the players in a different role. Actually, I don't think I worked so much with Kim back then [as assistant coach]. I've played against Kim so we knew each other from playing against each other. 

“I think it's grown and I think between Kim and me there's not always a lot of interaction needed or communication needed. We don't see everything the same way, but I think in our values we are very similar. 

“I love working with her. Kim is not always someone with a lot of words- I am not either- but when we get into detail and we get into deep discussions we can go on for a long time. I really enjoy it and it's a pleasure to work with a player like Kim.”