Jonas Eidevall has responded to experts' claims that global sportswear brands are 'failing women' by not designing enough female-specific football boots.
This comes after talkSPORT's investigation into the topic found that there is a significant lack of footwear on the market which caters for women's physiology and running mechanics.
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Despite several major sports brands claiming to be committed to delivering 'inclusive' products, the study found that Nike, Adidas and Under Armour have each only released one female-specific boot.
Further analysis also showed that the launches had been overshadowed by issues, including Adidas' large time gap since their 2016 launch, and the Nike shoe having typically male features.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Arsenal Women's head coach Eidevall agreed that the lack of action by manufacturers in addressing the issue has, until now, been disappointing.
He said: “I think it's an area that has been really poor to be honest for the last decade.
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"But hopefully there are now signs this will change.”
The study revealed that Nike's 2023 Phantom Luna, which was billed as their first boot 'with her in mind', is technically unisex.
The US sportswear giant's groundbreaking product was made available in men's sizes and features an outsole seen in many male-focused boots, which is tailored to their traction and grip.
Specialists however, have argued that female athletes require designs catering to their own body mechanics, given that they are generally lighter and smaller than men.
Associate Professor in Sports Medicine at St Mary’s University, Kat Okholm Kryger explained that female athletes generally have narrower heels, higher foot arches and wider hips, which affects the way pressure runs through their feet.
And Eidevall has welcomed talkSPORT's investigation into the issue, calling for it to open the door to further research into designing better quality women-only football boots.
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The Gunners boss said: “This is a welcome change with the debate climate.
"And hopefully that can lead to more research on female athletes, which then in turn will lead to better developed products which will suit female athletes and their needs much better.
“I think if we start looking at the research, the majority of it around the world globally for athletes is done with male athletes and that has been the norm.”
The Swedish coach's comments reflect the issues raised by Professor Okholm Kryger, who criticised brands, namely Adidas, who claim to have designed gender-neutral boots.
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She said: “Having one boot and one-size fits all is not the solution,"
“You can call a football boot whatever you want, but the key factor is it's actually designed to fit the needs of a male and a female football player, and those two are different."
The specialist also addressed the possible correlation between the high-rate of ACL injuries in women's football, and the lack of female-exclusive football footwear.
Some of the game's biggest stars have suffered the serious knee injury in recent years, including Eidevall's own players Leah Williamson and Beth Mead.
While Okholm Gryger said there is no proven link between the two, she called for the impact of boot design to be explored further.
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She said: “We need to consider every single factor, and I believe that this is one of them.”
With the WSL season reaching its climax, Eidevall will be hopeful his players could benefit from the potential advancements in this field by the start of the next campaign.