Arsenal's Mikel Arteta Faces Major Blow as Trusted Right-Hand Man Prepares Exit

Arsenal's head coach Mikel Arteta faces the departure of a key member of his coaching staff, as assistant manager Carlos Cuesta is poised to exit the North London club.

Cuesta has served alongside Arteta for 261 matches, arriving at Arsenal in August 2020 during the manager's inaugural summer at the helm, and has played an integral role in the coaching setup through three consecutive Premier League second-place campaigns.

However, the 29-year-old is eager to pursue new challenges and has been presented with such an opportunity.

Fabrizio Romano indicates that following recent discussions, Parma are looking to name Cuesta as their new head coach. The talks with Arsenal regarding his departure are reportedly reaching their "concluding phase".

Given Cuesta's youth—he turns 30 next month—he would become Serie A's youngest manager in nearly 100 years, surpassing former Triestina manager Elio Loschi, who was 29 years and nine months old when he took charge of the now lower-division club in May 1939. Since 1990, no one under 35 has been named a Serie A head coach.

Should he join Parma, Cuesta would hold the distinction of being the youngest active manager across Europe's premier five leagues.

Before his Arsenal tenure, Cuesta served as an assistant coach with Juventus' Under-17 squad, having previously held a comparable position at Atlético Madrid. He began the latter role while still in his teens and was merely 23 when he relocated to Turin.

The Guardian has noted that Cuesta has evolved into one of Arteta's "most trusted advisors" in recent years, with his specific responsibilities centered on enhancing players' tactical comprehension. Norwich and several other Championship sides had shown prior interest.