Mikel Arteta’s ‘Closest Confidant’ Set to Leave Arsenal | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is set to lose one of his closest allies at the club, as assistant coach Carlos Cuesta prepares to leave the Gunners.

Cuesta has worked under Arteta for 261 games, joining Arsenal in August 2020—during the boss’s first summer in charge, and has been a key part of the staff for three successive runner-up finishes in the Premier League.

But the 29-year-old is ready to challenge himself elsewhere and has the opportunity to do so.

Fabrizio Romano reports that, after recent talks, Parma want to appoint Cuesta as head coach. The negotiations with Arsenal over his release are said to be in the “final stages”.

Due to Cuesta’s age—he will celebrate his 30th birthday next month—he will be Serie A’s youngest manager in almost a century, trailing former Triestina boss Elio Loschi, who was aged 29 years and nine months when he assumed control of the now lower league side in May 1939. No one younger than 35 has been appointed a Serie A head coach since 1990.

At Parma, Cuesta would be the youngest current boss in any of Europe’s top five leagues.

Prior to joining Arsenal, Cuesta worked as an assistant coach for Juventus at Under-17 level, having also previously filled a similar role with Atlético Madrid. He was still a teenager himself when he started the latter job, and was only 23 when he moved abroad to Turin.

The Guardian has explained that Cuesta has grown into one of Arteta’s “closest confidants” over the past few years, with his particular role focused on developing the tactical understanding of individual players. Norwich and other Championship clubs had previously shown interest.